Una Noche
by TStabler
Summary: A confused Marine, who has made a couple of mistakes, wants one night to do what he wants and follow his heart when he meets a college co-ed that takes his breath away. When their one night togther is impossible to forget, how can they live apart? E/O
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Not **_**necessarily**_** AU, but that's only because we don't know **_**too**_** much about their pasts, now do we? **_**AU-type**_** things: No Eli, as the kids are **_**incredibly**_** young, **_**everyone**_** is SO much younger than you'd think in the first chapter, but they grow up pretty damn fast. =) It's a one-shot, for now.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

Siena College, Loudenville, N.Y, Moot Court- Mock Trial, 3rd Floor of the Sarazan Student Union, 1988. 

"Since it's 'Fleet Week', some troops from some branches of the armed forces are being housed in empty dorms here on campus for the night on their way to the big city. We've welcomed a few of these men and women to sit in as members of the jury," a perky blonde woman said before she sat down in her court reporter's chair. "Our Pre-Law Freshmen will act as the attorneys, judge, defendant and witnesses. We begin, with the opening statement from the prosecution." The blonde began typing as a stunningly beautiful brunette rose and addressed the jury. A Marine, who had just gotten married to his pregnant high-school sweetheart before being deployed, kicked himself very hard in the ass. She was the most amazing creature he'd ever laid eyes on.

She spoke and he hung onto every word as if were the Gospel according to Jesus himself. "Lady's and gentlemen, we are here today to find justice for Carrie Parker. Carrie was a bright young woman. Artistic, athletic, intelligent, beautiful, charming. She was a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend. A teacher, a nurse, and those that knew her would say, now, she is an angel. She would be _here _today with all of the people whose lives she touched, if it were not for one man's misguided affection, obsession and ultimate _lapse_ in _sanity._ Her life, her _essence_ and _aura_, were ripped away from her on October nineteenth, as the defendant, _allegedly_, kidnapped, raped and brutally murdered her, and then, on October twenty-first, returned her broken, beaten, lifeless body to her home in Glen Oaks, Queens, for her husband to find on the way to work the next morning. A senseless act of malicious violence for which only _you_, the jury, can seek _retribution_." The gorgeous brunette sat down in her chair with a smirk. She knew she _nailed_ that.

The defense attorney, a short, stumpy looking man, rose from his seat, shaking and trying to keep his index cards straight. "Um. Wow. Okay. That is _so_ not fair, Olivia."

"Oh, please. It was _totally_ fair. If you're not prepared, we can always reach a _deal_. Your client pleads guilty _now_, serves twenty-five to life at Rikers, _and_ you owe me fifty bucks. Just declare your client _guilty,_" she said smirking.

"Fat chance. Uh, um. Well, uh. As, uh, Ms. Benson said, this case is about murder and rape and stuff, but _not_ of Carrie Parker. The rape of the final closing arguments...oh, sorry, I skipped a card." He flipped backward. "The rape of a man's innocence and the murder of his good mane. _Name_. I meant 'name', but I wrote 'mane'. I'm dyslexic," he explained.

The young Marine stopped listening to the funny, nervous boy and started staring at the woman again. Her name, he gathered, was Olivia Benson. She was sitting in front of him, cool, calm and confident. The smirk on her face was priceless, and he knew that, somehow, he needed to meet her. He had to _know_ this girl. He sat through witness testimonies and rebuttal statements, cross examinations and he laughed hysterically when Olivia made Trevor, the short, dumpy defense attorney, cry. Finally, he heard the closing arguments. He really didn't care what she said, he was totally voting her way, but the truth was, she_ proved_ her case. She was brilliant. Absolutely _brilliant_.

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" the young man playing the judge asked.

"We have Your Honor," the foreman said. "We find the defendant, Harold Horton, guilty of rape in the first degree _and_ murder in the first degree."

Cheers erupted from Olivia's side of the room and she held a palm out to Trevor, who unhappily slapped a fifty-dollar-bill into it. "I _still_ think you were cheating, Olivia."

"How? I'm better than you, smarter than you, and a hell of a lot _cuter_ than you. If _that_ makes me a cheater than, oops, I guess I cheated," she quipped. "Thanks for buying me dinner for the next _week_, Langan." She turned and waved to her friends, shook her professor's hand and walked out of the door. She was almost to the elevator when she stopped. "Okay, I didn't mind you staring. It was kind of flattering. But, following me? I don't care _how_ blue your eyes are, that's grounds for an ass kicking." She turned and grinned at the Marine.

He was taken aback by her bluntness. "Oh, uh, I'm sorry, I just..."

"I'm kidding. I won't kick your ass until _after_ you tell me why you're following me," she said with a smile and a wink.

"Well," he said. "I don't really know. I wanted to meet you, I guess. You were incredible in there. You made a grown man cry."

"Trevor Langan is _not_ a grown man. He's not even a _growing_ man," she said. She held out her hand. "Olivia Benson."

"Elliot Stabler," he said, smiling brightly. He liked this girl.

She pushed the call-button for the elevator and as they waited for it she asked, "Are you staying on campus?"

"Yeah, Stanton Hall." He ran a hand through his hair. Why did this girl make his palms sweat? "Do _you_, uh, live on campus?"

She smirked and nodded. "Would you believe I live in Stanton Hall?"

"Wow, that's one hell of a coincidence. Um, you wanna, I mean I don't, uh, want to make any _presumptions_ but, do you wanna take a walk or something? You could show me around," he said, shuffling his feet. Olivia laughed to herself. He was so charming, and incredibly endearing. His current shyness blended well with his clear strength and obvious cockiness. "Yeah, sure," she said with a smile.

She showed him the parks and the different buildings, she walked him through all of her academic halls, including the forensics lab, which he really enjoyed. They talked for hours about college life versus life in the military. Elliot had been taking night classes when he could at Queens College, but it wasn't the same as the full university experience. They shared stories and their hopes and dreams, and were pleasantly surprised to find out that they both wanted, one day, to work in the NYPD. It had gotten dark, and cold, and she was shivering as they stepped out of Shepard Hall into the night air. "Oh, come here." He pulled her toward him and enveloped her with his arms, warming her instantly, but she wasn't sure if it was _entirely_ from just his hug. "We should, uh, probably go back to Stanton," he said. Olivia nodded, afraid to speak. He did strange things to her. They walked, almost cuddling, back to Stanton Hall and stopped in front of the stairs.

"Where's your room?" he asked, his arms still wrapped around her.

She had wondered, only briefly, why he still had her in his embrace, since they were now in the heated hall of the dorm building, but she didn't want him to let her go. "Second floor. Two-oh-nine."

"Do you think, uh, I could come by later? I want to get out of this uniform," he said, praying she'd say yes. He wanted to spend as much time with her as he could.

Her mind was racing. So was her heart. What was her problem? "Yes. I'd like that." They went their separate ways, and she ran up the stairs and pulled together a night-time look that said "I'm getting ready for bed but I know a hot boy is in the room so I still look sexy as hell." She opted for a black tank top and her black and pink Siena Logo sweatpants. She tousled her hair, just a little, and brushed her teeth, with a little hope that he'd kiss her before the night was through. As she spit into her sink, there was a knock on the door. Her heart gave a little thud in response.

She opened it, and he stood there, still looking nervous, in a grey tee-shirt and jeans. His mouth fell open when he took in the sight of her. "Has anyone ever told you how gorgeous you are?"

"Only that Trevor guy, and we both _know_ he's getting _nowhere_ fast," she said with a raised eyebrow. She closed the door and offered him a seat on her bed. "I'm not, by the way. I thought they checked your vision when you joined the Marines."

He laughed. "I have _perfect_ eyesight. You're beautiful." He didn't realize what he was doing, or how it happened, but his hand wound itself in Olivia's hair and he pulled her close to him. He knew he should not be doing this. But, he also knew that this _one_ night, with someone he would probably _never_ see again, wouldn't kill him. _Not_ being with her _would_ kill him. "Your eyes are like these big, round cups of hot chocolate, with gold glitter floating in it, like sprinkles. You've got three freckles on the left side of your nose that, if you connected them in the right way, look like a heart. And," he ran his thumb over her lips. "Your mouth, Olivia, is _perfect_. Your smile could light up Las Vegas. That smirk could bring any straight man, and some gay ones, to his _knees_, and I have been _dying _to kiss you since I saw you in that classroom this morning."

She sucked in a breath. "Jesus, are you going to_ do_ it or are you just gonna make me crazy by _talking_ about it?"

"Oh," he chuckled. "I'm gonna do it." He kissed her, and there was more heat, passion and desire in their kiss than any kiss he'd ever shared with the woman who was waiting for him in Queens. He heard Olivia moan, and he felt her tremble in his arms and it spurred him, making him deepen the kiss and take a bigger risk. Olivia wanted this as much as he did, and in moments their clothes were a pile of unrecognizable scraps at the foot of her bed. He flipped her over, laying on top of her for a moment. "You're so fucking _gorgeous_," he mumbled as his lips made their way down her body. He tasted her, sliding his tongue up her wet center, causing her to cry out in delight and pleasure, and agony all at once. He licked sweet circles around her core, making her hips buck, but he was careful not to go near her most sensitive button. He wanted to make her cum the _right _way, with _him_. He crawled back up her body, slowly and groaned. He leaped off of the bed, and reached for his pants, but Olivia stopped him.

"I have one," she whispered, pulling him back down onto her. She reached her delicate hand into her night stand, pulled out a silver-wrapped package and tore it open with her teeth. She threw the wrapper to the side, and then reached her hand down, rolling the condom onto him, slowly, earning great moans of pleasure from him. She positioned him at her entrance and he pushed, slowly, into her. She had no idea that he'd be that big, it was sending a sharp pain through her whole body. He stopped, sensing her discomfort, but she kissed him and once he started to move, it became the most extreme pleasure _either_ of them had _ever_ felt. Their tryst lasted well into the wee hours of the morning, and Elliot found himself unwilling to move when they were finished. She was resting on top of him, her head on his chest, as he stroked her hair. "This sucks," he said.

"I thought it was pretty fucking phenomenal," she said with a scoff.

He laughed. "It was. God, it was. I meant, it sucks that I'm leaving tomorrow. I don't think I can let you go," he said, knowing that he didn't have any _choice_. He was married. And about to be a father. "Here," he said, reaching up and taking off the gold cross necklace he was wearing. "Take this. I don't know when, or how, but I'm gonna see you again, and when I do, I wanna _know_ it's you. I wanna see _this_ around your neck, to _prove_ you haven't forgotten about me."

* * *

Elliot blinked his eyes open. He always woke up before he could get to the best part, the part when they cried and made love again, but just because he could never _dream_ it, it doesn't mean he couldn't _remember_ it. Every day, every night, every moment for the last seven years he relived the best night of his life with the woman he couldn't forget. He swung his legs off the bed and ran downstairs. Rubbing his neck, because sleeping in the precinct bunkroom was murder on the bones, he groaned. "Jesus, Munch," he yelled. "That coffee smells like the goddamned sewer."

"Well, it _is_ New York _tap_ water a'brewin in there," John Munch, a fellow detective, said with a chuckle. "Cragen wants you in his office. Your new partner's here."

"Great, just what I need the day after the wife kicks me out. Another fucking rookie to train." Elliot pulled open the door to his captain's office, simpering. "All right, Cap. Where's the sorry son of a bitch who'll probably only last a week."

"Excuse me?" a familiar female voice said from behind him. He turned and his face lit up, as did hers.

Cragen huffed. "Elliot Stabler, this is your new partner, Olivia Benson. She's _not_ a son of a bitch, she'll _probably_ last more than a week."

Elliot choked on his own breath. He was sure it _couldn't_ be, but it looked like _her,_ and sounded like _her_, and it was _her _name that Cragen had just said. Their eyes were holding tightly to each other's gaze, and Olivia smirked. She flicked a finger under her collar and started playing with the charm on her necklace. "It's _very_ nice to meet you, Elliot," she said with a twinkle in her eye. Elliot looked down, just a bit, and in between her thumb and forefinger, sliding up and down the chain, was the gold cross he'd given her on that fateful night.

"Olivia, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," he said. But she would, soon enough.

**A/N: Part two, if you say so? Review? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thank you for the amazing response to this story! You wanted so here it is, part two.**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and cites of SVU belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

He kept stealing glances…okay…_staring_ at her over their desks. He had been dreaming about her, every single _second,_ for the last seven years, and she just waltzes into his department and becomes his partner? The day after he and his wife have the worlds biggest, most _marriage-endingest_ fight ever? This was fucking _karma_ right here. Fate. Someone _up there_ loved him. Owed him a favor. Or, really, really wanted to torture him by giving her back to him when he couldn't have her…what if _she_ was married? He hadn't thought of _that_. He smiled as he watched her, still playing with the cross around neck. She was _wearing_ it, which meant she _remembered_.

Without even looking up from her file-reading, she snarked, "You _still_ have a staring problem."

"Only when it comes to you," he said, absent-mindedly. Was he flirting with her? Were they allowed to flirt? Were they _beyond_ flirting? God, he felt like that nervous Marine all over again. His palms were sweating and all he was wanted to kiss her, the same feelings he had when he first laid eyes on her. "You're, uh, you've got my cross on," he said, when he remembered how to speak.

She smiled and looked up at him. "I haven't taken it _off_ since you put it around my neck. You don't know how _hard_ it is to explain why I wear it. I'm not very _religious_," she said with a raised eyebrow. "So, when people ask, I have to say something _dumb_ like, 'For _sentimental_ reasons' or 'It's really _pretty_'. Could you imagine if I told my mother, 'I wear this cross to remind me of the only man I think I've ever actually fallen in _love_ with. He made me _cum_ eight times in _one_ night. I never _saw_ him again' I think she'd have a _heart attack_," she said, looking down at the file. She paused, then she looked up at him again. "I'm gonna go call my mother."

"But, you _did_ see him again," he reminded her with a huge smirk.

"What she doesn't know will only _add_ to the potential _death_," she quipped with a chuckle.

"You, uh, think you fell _in love_ with me?" he whispered as he typed up a report on his computer.

Olivia smirked, the smirk that Elliot once said could bring a man to his knees. She leaned over and whispered back, "Well, you successfully _ruined_ me for other men. _No one_, since you, has been able to satisfy me, sexually _or_ emotionally, and no one has_ ever_ made me _smile_ the way you did. So, _yeah_. One night, Elliot. _Una noche_. And all was lost," she said.

"Olivia," he said, stilling his typing and looking into her chocolate eyes, "Truer words have never been spoken. That's_ exactly_ how I feel." Her eyes sparkled as he admitted it. "Come to dinner with me after work. I have to talk to you." She nodded, rising from her seat to get a cup of coffee. Elliot's nerves were already shot just thinking about how Olivia would handle what he needed, so desperately, to tell her.

* * *

The day had been uneventful; Cragen sent Munch and Cassidy on most of the calls to give Olivia time to adjust. Elliot gave her a tour of the building, showed her to her locker, gave her her combination and introduced her to the different people in the different divisions. It was your typical first day at work. At nine-forty-five, Elliot escorted her out of the building and walked with her to the Moondance Diner, two blocks away. He found them a corner booth and grabbed her hand from across the table. He looked into her eyes and sighed.

"You haven't changed one bit. If anything, you've only gotten _more_ beautiful," he said.

Olivia scoffed. "Flattery will get you, well, everywhere. Keep going," she smirked.

He laughed. "You really don't _know_ what that night did to me, do you? I have to tell you, Olivia, there's something you don't know, something I, well, I guess I _lied_ to you about, but it didn't matter, it _doesn't _matter," he babbled, shaking his head and stuttering.

Olivia seductively traced small circles in the palm of his hand. "You're going to tell me you're married, aren't you? Or, at least, that you _were_, that night?" She smirked wider as his eyes widened. "You never took off your ring, Elliot. I was in _law school_, you ass. I paid incredible attention to detail. I still do." She pointed to herself and said, "Detective."

Elliot smirked and shook his head in disbelief. "And you still…if you knew, then why..." he was cut off when she chuckled.

"Elliot, _honestly,_" she looked into his blue eyes and sighed, falling into them. "You were a _Marine_, it was supposed to be _one_ night, I was never supposed to see you again. When you kissed me I knew it was something we _both_ wanted, but then you had to go and make it all _emotional_ and make me promise to never _forget _you and _ruin_ everything," she joked, slapping him in the arm. "Besides, I'm pretty sure if things were _happy_ at home, you wouldn't have made a move on me _then_, and we _wouldn't_ be talking about it _now_," she said, in all seriousness.

Relieved, he squeezed her hand. "God, I was so afraid you'd kick my ass, or hate me, and I couldn't deal with either, to be honest," he said with a nervous laugh. "You're right, you know. Things with my wife, no matter how hard we tried, they were never good. Even after the kids, things just got worse. She kicked me out last night. She, uh, heard me dreaming about, um, _you_."

"Wow," Olivia said, taken aback. "You have kids? What do you _mean_, she heard you? How did she hear you _dreaming_?"

"Oh, yeah. Two beautiful little girls. Seven and six, and the twins, another girl and a boy, are four. We just kept trying to save our marriage, but we ended up signing its _death certificate_. It was _over_ the night I met _you_, Olivia, she _heard_ me, all the time. Calling_ your_ name and _moaning_, the _whole_ bit. I'm just thankful she made me leave without asking questions," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Telling her that I've been hung up on _you_ for as long as we've been married might have started a third world _war_."

Olivia looked at him, dropped his hand, and then laughed, loudly, hysterically, to the point of crying.

"Wow, that's nice. Thanks, I'm glad my imminent divorce and embarrassing wet dreams about you are amusing," he said abashedly.

"No," she laughed. "I'm not laughing _at you_, Elliot. I'm laughing because that's _exactly_ why Trevor broke up with me. He kept asking me who the hell _Elliot_ was and why _he_ never heard me make those _noises_ before."

Elliot chuckled, then stilled. "Wait, _Trevor_? The short, stupid guy that you made _cry_ during your mock-trial?"

"Well, uh, Junior year, he kind of got taller, and smarter and…"

"Okay, I have heard enough," he said, interrupting her. "Sorry, but I don't really wanna hear about your ex. I'm actually jealous of the dweeb," he said with a shit-eating grin.

Olivia picked a pice of fuzz off of his shoulder. "Don't be. If anything, _he_ needed to be jealous of _you_." She let her hand linger on his shoulder, feeling his muscles, and thinking how much stronger he'd gotten. "So, um, how _are_ things with your wife…"

"Completely _over_. Now," he said grabbing her hand from his shoulder and pulling it down, pulling her closer to him. "I've waited seven years for this," he said as he reach up and ran a hand through her hair. "Don't make me wait any longer."

She blinked. "For what?"

"This," he whispered, bringing her head toward his, their lips meeting with a spark and starting a fire that had laid dormant for so long not only ignited, but _engulfed_ them. They were going to cause a scene in a crowded city diner if they didn't get a hold of themselves. "We should leave," he whispered into her ear as he sucked on her neck, "Before we have to arrest ourselves for public _lewdness_."

Olivia laughed. "My apartment's two blocks from here," she breathed. God, she wanted him, needed him, he drove her mad.

He slid out from the booth and pulled her by the hand, leaving the diner in a blur of motion that turned the heads of the other customers.

* * *

They made it to her place, through the door and into the bedroom in _five_ minutes, a new record, and their breathing was ragged and shallow. Clothing was torn and bodies were entangling, and just as it happened the first time, Elliot groaned and reached for his pants, and again, Olivia stopped him. "No, Elliot. Not this time."

He looked at her, his breath hitching and heart stopping. "What?" he asked. "You have one?"

She shook her head. "I'm on the pill. I want to _feel_ you this time, _all_ of you. And I want _you_ to make the promise this time. El, _promise _me that this isn't going to be another one night stand that I won't be able to forget for the _next_ seven years," she eased him back down on to her and looked into his eyes, feeling him press into her, and he smiled down at her.

"What did you just call me?" he asked.

Olivia blinked. "El," she said. She squeezed her eyes shut as she felt him push into her a bit more, stretching her all over again. He kissed away a tear and pushed deeper. "I promise, Liv. Now that I have you, I'm never letting you go again. I've got a _choice_ this time." He pressed his lips to hers, with nothing but love, as he slid in completely, finally coming _home_, and as he stopped, giving them both a moment to adjust, he whispered, "I choose _you_, baby."

"Oh, God, El, move," she begged, "I_ need_ you to _move_." And move he did. Thrusting at an agonizingly _slow _pace, trying making their first time in too damn long last, he impaled and retracted completely, penetrating to the hilt with each pass, and in fifteen minutes, thanks to his pubic bone hitting her clit with every beat, she came for the _first_ time, clenching and tugging on his rod but he wasn't letting go yet, he wasn't finished with her. "Holy shit, El," she cried as she wrapped her arms and legs around him.

"Yeah, Liv. I know, baby. God, just hold on," he said, kissing her. He increased his speed, encouraging and rousing her second incredible orgasm. "Oh, fuck, baby. God, you feel incredible." He kissed her, passionately, wildly, as her nails dug into his back and his pistoning increased, building momentum, force, and power. Thrusting harder, faster, and stronger he clutched tightly to her and felt her walls clamp down on him again, harder than the first time. "Christ, Liv," he cried.

She arched her back, high off of the bed, and screamed his name. She made all of the noises only _he_ had _ever_ made her make, and she dragged her nails up his spine, and that's when he lost his battle. He thrust _through_ her death-grip, twice more, and spilled all of himself into her with a cry of his own, her new pet name, triggering a third and final release, a calm and quiet, rolling one, for her. She shook and vibrated beneath him as he held onto her for dear life, kissing every inch of her body that he could reach without moving, because he didn't have the strength. He used his last bit of energy to roll them over, keeping himself inside of her, and he brought her quilt up over them, holding her close and kissing her again. "Oh, my God," he said, stroking her hair, with her head on his chest, the way he had all those years ago.

"Like a fine wine, El, you have only gotten better with age," she quipped, trying to catch her breath.

He laughed. "That was seven years of pent up sexual frustration and unexpressed love and regret, Liv."

"Oh," she said with a small laugh. "Does that mean it'll never be _that_ fantastic again?"

"Liv, baby, it'll _always_ be like that for _us_," he said smirking. "And, yeah, as we get closer, and fall more and more in love with each other, it _will _get better, _if _that's possible."

She turned her chin up to kiss him and just as her tongue gained entrance to his mouth, her cell phone rang. "Oh, wonderful," she griped. She reached for the phone and flipped it open. "Benson. Yeah, Cap. Oh, I think I can handle him, Sir. Ready as I'll ever be. Thanks." She moved and moaned, forgetting briefly that Elliot was still inside of her. "Wow, that's amazing," she said with a laugh. "I'm supposed to call my partner and tell him that we got a dead body on Thirty-Eighth Street. Cragen warned me that he has a temper and hates to be woken up. You think he'll get mad at me?"

"God, baby, you could beat him over the head with a frying pan at four in the morning and he wouldn't get mad at you," he said kissing her. She rolled off of him and winked. "Good. Wake up, Stabler. We got a dead body on Thirty-Eighth Street."

**A/N: As always, I'll continue if **_**you**_** want me to. This is different from anything I've written, and I'm liking the new spin on their relationship. But, I'll only write it if you want it. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: How do they work together? How are they going to separate the professional from the sexual? Is there more to it than just intense chemistry? They find out **_**this**_** night. **_**Una otra noche.**_** Mild smut at the end. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and cites of SVU belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

"The perp came prepared," Olivia said, kneeling down and lifting the vic's hand with her own latex-gloved palm. "Her hands have been wiped clean and her fingernails have been clipped."

Elliot peered down at her with a stunned expression. "This was premeditated."

"Not necessarily the _vic_, but the _murder_. He planned to rape and kill _someone_ tonight. This poor girl was the unlucky chosen one," Olivia stated, rising to her feet.

"Okay, who's the girl and if she's gonna keep doing that, do you really need me?" the medical examiner asked Elliot with a frustrated tone.

Elliot laughed. "Dr. Melinda Warner, I'd like you to meet Detective Olivia Benson. She's my new partner," he said with pride. "Liv, this is Doc Warner, the M.E. I think you stole her thunder."

"Oh, uh, sorry," Olivia said as she shook Warner's hand. "I was just doing my job."

Warner nodded. "I know, and now I'm going to do mine. Excuse me, Detective," she said with a smile. She knelt down beside the body and got to work. "A very small amount of fluids are present, but she's been, um, _cleaned_, so I might not get a useful sample. Your perp wore gloves. Thick. Probably cotton. There are blue and white fibers around her neck. I'll know more when I get her on my table," she turned to look up at Olivia, but blinked. She was gone.

"El," Olivia yelled. Elliot turned his head and saw her, pulling a black trash bag out of the bushes. "He came _very_ prepared and he cleaned up after himself." She brought the bag over to him, and inside were two condom wrappers, a bit of white rope, bloody paper towels and the girls torn underwear.

* * *

"He's exhibiting all the signs of an obsessive-compulsive disorder, including a sexual obsession and compulsion to kill." Dr. George Huang was explaining his theories to the detectives as Olivia sat on the edge of her desk, sipping coffee, looking skeptical. "Detective Benson, you seem doubtful."

She smirked. "An obsessive-compulsive would have taken the bag to a trashcan or dumpster or_ home_ with them so they could _relive _the crime. We found it thrown behind a _bush_."

Huang paled. "That is a, uh, very good point."

"Liv has an excellent eye for details and an incredible memory," Elliot said, smirking, as he chugged his own cup of coffee.

"And a strong background in human behavior and psychoanalysis, apparently," Huang said, respectfully.

"Okay," Olivia said, clearing her throat, suddenly uncomfortable. "Thanks, guys, but I don't wanna talk about_ me_. Let's think about the type of person who would commit a crime like this. We got _passion_ and _violence_, and then he erases every trace of himself by cleaning the area _and_ the victim, and _hides_ the evidence without _actually_ getting rid of it." She looked at Elliot and raised an eyebrow.

Elliot's face lit up. "Someone who's got a temper, and is sexually frustrated, but _trained_ to always be prepared, _trained_ to erase _all _of his tracks, someone who would know a good deal about human anatomy and forensics but who was _in a hurry_ and hid the garbage, like a kid who's idea of cleaning his room is shoving everything under the bed. He had to be back at a certain time, so he tossed the bag and ran."

Olivia grinned. "You got it. The fibers on the vic's neck were _white and blue cotton_, El. Like, from, say a certain someone's old _uniform_?"

"I'm thrilled that you two are getting along, and working well together," Cragen said, "But, could you fill us in on your shared theory and secret code?"

"Cap," Olivia said. "It's Fleet Week."

"We're looking for a Marine," Elliot said, sharing a furtive glance with Olivia.

* * *

They spent the next hour going over the evidence. Olivia ran down to the lab after being hit with an idea, and came back through the bullpen doors with a huge, smug smile on her face. She hit Elliot with her file. "Hey," she said.

"Ow, and hello, beautiful, but mostly, ow!" he said, rubbing his shoulder.

"Please, you could throw a _car_ across the _Hudson_ with those guns, that didn't hurt," she chided. She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "How well do you remember our_ first _night together?"

"Liv, I remember every fucking _detail_," he said in a husky whisper.

She smirked. "How did I open the condom?"

"With your teeth, you made me harder than a fucking baseball bat, why are you..." he paused, looked up at her and not only got turned on, but excited over the case, too. "We got his DNA," he said, smiling. "He opened them with his teeth."

She nodded and raised her eyebrows with a smile. "Ran him through the system, and we got him, El," she said. She handed him the file and grinned. "Cragen sent Munch and Cassidy to pick him up. Case closed."

"Benson, Stabler," Cragen shouted. "Come here, please. Now!"

They looked at each other, gulped, and walked toward the captain's office. They were pretty sure they'd done a damn good job, so they were both unsure of what they did wrong. They stepped inside and closed the door, each sitting in one of the leather chairs in front of Cragen's desk.

"You two impressed me today. Elliot, I have_ never_ seen you take such a _strong_ liking to a partner so quickly before. Olivia, this was your first case here and you outwitted our medical examiner, our shrink_ and_ our lab techs. The _only_ one who seems to keep up with you is Stabler. Take the rest of the night off, both of you. You _earned_ it," the captain said, smiling. "Oh, and, if you two wouldn't mind, spend some time together. Get to know each other. Partners need to."

Olivia suppressed a snicker. "No, Sir. I don't mind hanging out with Elliot."

"I'd be more than happy to get to know Olivia," Elliot said, trying not to laugh.

Cragen nodded. "Good. Have a good night then," he said, waving them out.

Half an hour later, they were sitting on her couch with Chinese food and chopsticks, feeding each other and cuddling, asking all types of questions, from personal to funny to hypothetical.

"Calamari? Who the hell is _afraid_ of calamari?" he asked her.

"My mother told me, once, that the tentacles would crawl back up if I ate it. It was terrifying," she said as she chewed on her chicken. She held her chopsticks, holding broccoli, out to Elliot, and he ate it, as she asked him, "What is your favorite...I don't know....smell?"

"Smell? Are we really running out of questions already?" he laughed. "Wow, okay." He fed her some of his spicy garlic shrimp with his chopsticks. "Promise you won't get all weird on me?"

"Why, it's not like rotting fish or feet or something, is it?" she asked with a scrunched up nose.

"That's disgusting, baby. No." He kissed her nose. "That face you just made was adorable, by the way," he told her. "My favorite smell is lavender and peppermint."

Olivia looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "That's_ two_ smells."

He shook his head. "No, it isn't. It's a _combination_. It's _you_. You smell like lavender _all _the time, from head to toe, and when I went to your dorm-room that night, you smelled like lavender and _peppermint_. And I remember thinking, when I kissed you, how _delicious_ you _tasted_ and _smelled_ and it made it _that_ much harder to leave you."

"Shit," she said, putting her carton of chicken and broccoli down on the end table.

Elliot looked at her, worried. "What, Liv?"

"I was expecting a manly answer like 'bacon' or 'dirt'," she said trying not to tear up, "But you gave me the most beautiful answer, and I wasn't prepared, so before I say something incredibly stupid, I just need a second to breathe here." She let out a chuckle.

"Nothing you could say would be stupid, Liv," he said, putting his food down and brushing his hand along her cheek.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Don't be so sure of that."

Elliot laughed and pulled her back to him, cuddling with her again. "Okay, what's _you're_ favorite smell?"

"Givenchy after shave, Dove soap and coffee," she said peering up at him. "You."

He leaned down and just as their lips were about to touch, she stopped him. "Be warned. I don't taste _anything_ like peppermint right now," she said with a chuckle.

"Liv, you could bite into a _raw onion_ and I'd still kiss you," he said, boring into her eyes with his. "I'm pretty sure I'm probably in love with you."

"Oh, that's convincing," she said, sarcastically.

He laughed and lowered his head a bit more, grazing her lips lightly with his. "I _want _to say it, but I'm terrified. I don't know what you're gonna say, how you'll react. This is _technically_ only the _third_ day we've known each other. It took me _two years_ to believe I loved my soon-to-be-ex-wife. Isn't it a little ridiculous that I fell in love with you in one day, seven years ago, and fell in love with you all over again yesterday and _again _today?"

Olivia shook her head and bit her lip. "El, I can't say it's ridiculous. The same thing's happening to me and, I think, _every_ day will feel like falling in love all over again because every time I learn something new about you or see a different side of you, it happens." Olivia lifted her chin and kissed him.

"I love you," he whispered. "I'm sure."

Olivia smiled, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him again. "I love you, too."

Elliot swooped her down flat onto the couch, covered her body with his and tugged open the snaps on her shirt, sliding the red cotton off of her torso and tossing it across the room. She pulled his shirt up over his head as he ran his hands down her body, taking the time to admire it that he didn't give himself the night before. "Christ, you have the most amazing stomach," he said, kissing the very center of each defined muscle. When he kissed her belly button, she squirmed. He looked up at her, evilly. "Ticklish. I remember."

"Oh, El, you're not…" he raised a finger to her lips, stopping her speech. He nodded his head slowly as his other hand slowly unzipped her pants. He dragged his finger down the center of her athletic frame, from her mouth to her waist, until his hand reached its mate and he pulled, with both, gently sliding her slacks down over her hips, taking her silk panties with them. He peered down at the sight before him and smiled, like a child who has just been given a large slice of birthday cake.

"You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen," he said to himself. But, she heard him, blushed and squirmed. "No, Liv, don't do that. With me, you don't get to do that. I'm gonna make you believe it," he said, crawling over her, only halfway, and kissing up and around her thighs. The scent of her arousal was driving him crazy and he, though he tried to wait as long as he could, ran his tongue up her folds. She grabbed the back of his head at the exact moment his tongue touched her core and she moaned, so low and deep that he felt the vibrations against his mouth. It made him work harder, faster, he wanted to make her explode, and he wanted to swallow every last bit of her release. She tasted_ so_ divine.

He knew she was getting close when her hand clutched his hair and made a tight fist, her breathing became shallow, and the only two words, names, she was capable of saying, that she repeated over and over, were "God" and "El."

He flicked his tongue over the small, sensitive, hooded bundle of nerves and she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming. He knew, then, what he had to do. He latched onto her clit, and sucked, not letting go until Olivia did, with a hoarse, growling moan. Elliot felt every muscle tense up and release beneath him and her whole body shook. He licked, slowly, lapping up everything she gave him, as he stroked her belly, calming her down, bringing her back from wherever she had gone. He licked his lips as he crawled, slinking, up her limp and well-sated frame, and looked down at her lovingly, and with a cocky expression on his face.

She looked up at him, blinking, her eyes glassy and her chest still rising and falling in time with her rapidly-beating heart. "You look very pleased with yourself," she panted, trying to move her arm up to touch his face, but her body wasn't cooperating.

He laughed, and held her hand, bringing it to his lips and kissing it. "I _am_," he said. "See,_ that_ was fucking _amazing_, and it was only number _one._"

"Number one?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. "_What_ are you talking about."

"We're going for a new record. The day we met, when we thought we only had one night, I you came what, you said, _eight_ times?" She nodded. "Well, baby, you just told me you_ loved_ me, so I'm going to show you how much _I _love _you_ by going for at _least_ nine."

"Oh," she said, her eyes widening. "Well, then you should know that, uh, that was one _and_ two."

His eyes narrowed, he scooped her into his arms, lifting her off of the couch, carrying her into the bedroom. "We're off to a good start, then."

**A/N: Review! In the next chapter, their next **_**noche**_** together, Kathy comes a'callin. What will Elliot tell her? What about the kids? And, yes, Cassidy makes him move on Liv, and Elliot reacts a bit un**_**partner**_**ly. Want it???**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: IT'S MY BIRTHDAY! REVIEWS ARE GOOD GIFTS! Alas, we meet Kathy. She really knows how to cause a scene, huh? And Cassidy gets slugged, but not by who you'd think. ;)**

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and cites of SVU belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

"Hey," the usually tepid detective said in a brighter tone. "I brought you some coffee." Cassidy set the green and white cup o'joe on Olivia's desk and grinned.

"Uh, thanks," she said, attempting to smile, "But, I already have coffee." She tapped the side of the venti latte she had gotten with Elliot this morning with her pen and shrugged.

Cassidy simpered. "You can drink it later, right?" he offered, leaning up against her desk. "Olivia, are you doing anything..."

"Benson, Stabler!" Cragen yelled, cutting off whatever Cassidy was going to ask. "You've got a vic at Mercy General."

Olivia looked at Cassidy, smirked with a shrug and got out of her seat. She grabbed her jacket and her latte and followed Elliot out of the squadroom.

They came back, three hours later, laughing, talking, and with fresh coffee, but the smiles faded when they saw a blonde woman sitting in Elliot's desk. "Great," Elliot said under his breath. "Kathy, what are you doing here?"

"I can't come see my husband at work?" the blonde asked, a vicious, smug quality in her voice.

Elliot shook his head. "Not when we're getting _divorced_, you can't."

Kathy scoffed and smirked. "You thought I was _serious _about that?" She shook her head and spotted Olivia. "Who are _you_?"

"Oh, um, I'm..." Olivia was taken aback. She didn't want anything to do with this woman.

"And what the hell is that around your neck?" she spat, narrowing her eyes at a horrible angle.

"Okay, Kathy," Elliot said, holding out a hand to keep the demonic-looking blonde at bay. "This is my new partner, and what does it _look_ like? It's a cross. We're not the _only_ Catholics in the world, you know."

Kathy folded her arms over her chest. "I'm not an idiot, Elliot. That's _your_ cross. The one your father gave you when you joined the Marines. You said you _lost _it. What's it doing around _her_ neck, huh?"

"Christ, Kathy. Will you lower your voice and calm the hell down," Elliot said, lowering his voice and stepping closer to her. "I _gave _it to her, okay?" he whispered, aware of the many eyes in the bullpen on them.

"Elliot, you haven't been home in _three days_, I want you to come home, _tonight,_ and _explain_, and I'm sure we can work this out. Your kids miss you."

"I miss them, too. Like _crazy_. But, I'm _not _going back there, and I'm not working _anything_ out with _you _except a _custody agreement._ We both know it's _over_," Elliot said, furrowing his brow. "You don't love me, I _don't_ love you, why could you _possibly_ want to work things out?"

Kathy let out a frustrated noise. "Elliot! I can't handle them! They're little _monsters_! Maureen _only _listens to _you_, Kathleen only _does_ what _Maureen_ does and do you have _any_ idea what it's like chasing after twin _four year olds_? Dickie thinks he's Superman, Elliot! He keeps trying to fly off of the goddamn furniture, and Lizzie's little _experiements_ are growing all over the house."

Olivia snickered and Kathy snapped her head toward her. "You think it's funny? You think this is fucking _funny_?"

"No," Olivia said, still trying not to laugh. "I just think your children sound like, ya know, _children_. And they sound _really_ cute."

Elliot looked at her and, as he had every day for the past three days, he fell in love with her _again_. He turned back to his almost-ex. "Look, Kathy, if you can't handle them without me, I'm sorry. But, I'm not gonna make myself miserable by giving up the _best_ thing that's _ever _happened to me to go back to the biggest _mistake_ I've _ever_ made," he whispered, to her face. "If you don't want them, give up _all_ your parental rights when you sign the divorce papers, or make sure we get _joint_ custody and don't _fight_ me on it. I'll pick them up tomorrow to give you a break."

Kathy seethed. "And _who_ is the best thing that's ever happened to you, Elliot? Don't tell me you found the woman of your dreams in _three days_," she scoffed.

Cassidy ran over with a file, at that very moment, and threw an arm around Olivia and licked his lips. "Hey, Olivia, the statement you got from the vic doesn't exactly sound credible."

Olivia looked at him and blinked. "Why are you touching me?" She ripped the file out of his hand and he hiked his eyebrows up at her, smirked and licked his lips again.

"Yeah," Elliot said. "Why are you touching her?" he asked, anger and jealousy dripping from each word.

"Woah, did you just call her _'Olivia'_?" Kathy asked. "You've gotta be _kidding _me, Elliot. She really _is_ the girl of your dreams? I thought I was just competing with a _fantasy_, someone you made up!" She stepped toward Olivia, looked her up and down, walked around her in a circle and stopped in front of her.

Olivia crossed her arms. "So, am I USDA approved, inspector? she quipped.

"Well, I'd say you're Grade A, Choice," Cassidy said with a grin. Olivia glared at him and Elliot clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles.

Kathy turned to Elliot and said, whispering out of respect for his job, "She's _real_? And she's_ really_ who you want?"

"Yeah," he said. "She's who I've wanted for..._so_ damn long. I never meant..."

"I know," she said. "We tried, _too_ hard, but we made a mistake seven years ago, and we should have just let it be a _mistake_. I'll have the kids ready at eight. I'll sign the divorce papers when I get them." She stormed out of the bullpen as the loud slap of flesh meeting flesh rang through the room. Elliot's head snapped to Olivia and his eyes widened. Brian Cassidy was bent over in pain, clutching his nose.

"What the hell just happened?" Elliot asked.

Munch, through manic laughter, explained, "Benson was trying to explain the vic's statement to Cassidy, and he kept moving his hand. Once it reached her ass, she whopped him."

"It was a _reflex_," she said with a shrug and an innocent smile.

Elliot ran over to Cassidy, helping him stand up straight. "Oh, man, are you okay? What did she do?"

"I fink she bwoke mah dose," he said, cupping his bleeding smeller.

"Oh, dude, that sucks," Elliot said, with feigned sympathy. He patted him on the back, looked around to make sure Cragen wasn't in the squadroom, then brought his knee up to meet Cassidy's stomach, making him double over in even more pain, crouching back to his initial position. He leaned down and whispered, harshly and threateningly, "If you _ever_ fucking touch her again, I'll break more than your goddamn _nose_." He patted him on the back again and walked over to Olivia. "I love you," he said softly to her.

"Right back atcha, Stabler," She said, loudly, as Cragen walked out of his office.

"Why is Cassidy crying?" he asked. Munch, Olivia and Elliot burst into a raucous laughter, leaving Cragen confused, still trying to find a reason for the grown detective's tears.

* * *

"So, that was Kathy," Olivia said, opening the door to her apartment, and holding it open for Elliot who was carrying the food.

"Yeah," he said, setting it down on the table. "She's _real_ charming."

Olivia sat on the couch, flipped open the pizza box, and dug into a slice of pepperoni. "Well, she's furtive, I'll give her that. You were doing an awful lot of _whispering_."

"About_ you_, Liv. I told her I was in love with you. I wasn't about to announce it to the _entire precinct_. She's gonna sign the papers, and we're splitting custody, if she doesn't decide to give them up completely, I mean, she called them _monsters_." He sat next to her and, instead of taking his own slice, he grabbed hers and bit into it.

"Hey," she said with a laugh. "There's a whole pie, right there, you lazy son of a bitch. Get your own!"

"But, it's so much fun stealing yours," he said as he handed her pizza back to her, "We have to pick up my kids tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock."

"We?" she asked, almost choking on the pizza.

He nodded. "_You're_ my _life _now, Liv. They have to _meet_ you, _like_ you, which I _know_ they will, and, uh, since _I'm_ staying _here_..."

"Oh, Jesus," she muttered. "_Where_ am I supposed to put _four kids_?"

"Four _tiny_ kids, baby. They would all fit on the couch and the loveseat," he said as he bent his head to kiss her neck. He found the spot he had recently discovered drove her instantly insane."

She moaned lightly. "Um, you want your _kids _to sleep on the couch that we're about to have mind-blowing _sex_ on?"

Elliot chuckled. "Wow, no, ya know what, we'll get a couple of those air mattress things tomorrow."

"Good idea," she said. She shoved him down and straddled him, pulled her shirt over her head and grinned wickedly at him. She slid out of her pants just as quickly.

"_What_ are you doing?" he asked as he felt his heart pound in his throat.

She unhooked her bra, slid it off slowly and took great pride in the goofy expression that came over his face as the bra hit the floor. "I'm being, _what_ did you say? The _best_ thing that's _ever _happened to you and the woman of your _dreams_?"

Olivia unbuttoned his shirt and tugged off his tie as he asked, "You _heard_ that?"

"Yes, I did." She ran her hands up and down his chest and smiled when he fluttered his eyes closed. "You know, _you're_ the best thing that's ever happened to _me._" She moved her hands down to his belt, unbuckled it, and made quick work of his pants, sliding them off of his body. "_You_, Elliot Stabler, are the _man_ of _my_ dreams."

He ran his hands up and down her body and breathed a sigh of relief when she lowered herself onto him. "God, baby."

"Every time we've done this, _you've_ been in charge. Tonight, I'm letting you know that the _woman of your dreams_ likes to take things into her _own_ hands every once in a while," she explained, moving faster, quickening her pace. "That okay with you?"

"Oh, _hell_ yes." He held onto her hips and watched in amazement as she rode him, and his eyes stung because he refused to blink, not wanting to take his eyes off of her for a single second. His phone rang, making them both pause. "Are you fucking _kidding_ me, right now?" He reached over to grab it and once he answered it, shouting a very annoyed "Stabler," into the cell, Olivia, the minx, rocked her hips into him. He covered the receiving end and shouted in a whisper, "Liv, it's _Cragen_, knock it, holy fuck, _off_."

Her response was a narrow-eyed expression, a bite of her lip and a seductive shake of her head. She kept moving as Elliot had to control himself, unable to moan, groan, grunt or cry. His eyes were squeezed shut, and his mouth was pressed tightly closed. "Mmm hmm," he said, responding to something. "Yes," he said, answering another question, and also because Olivia was doing something right. Then, it happened. He threw his head back, and his mouth fell open, and he came inside of her, with a quiet, gasping, choking, cough. Olivia had shoved two of his fingers into her mouth to keep from screaming and she finally stopped moving. "Okay," Elliot said. "Bye, Cap" he breathed. He hung up the phone, lifted his head and glared at Olivia.

"What?" she asked innocently, still sucking on his finger. She felt his dick twitch inside of her and she bucked a little and giggled.

Elliot groaned. "You_ know_ what," he said, twirling his finger around her tongue playfully. I was on the _phone_, with our _captain_, and you just couldn't _stop_ could you?" He wrapped an arm around her and scooted them up a bit. "We aren't supposed to _be_ together, if _he _finds out we're _screwed,_ not to mention cummin on the phont with my captian _could have_ been horribly _embarrassing_."

"It wasn't," she said as she leaned forward and bit his neck, making him growl slowly. "And now we know that we can be _incredibly_ quiet. That'll come in handy."

He looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he slapped her ass gently, telling her to get off of him. He handed her her pants as he grabbed his own and asked, "_When _will we need to be _quiet_?"

She smirked slyly at him as she pulled on her shirt. "When we have an apartment full of _sleeping kids_." Elliot, buttoning his shirt, looked at her with wide eyes and a shit-eating grin, and shook his head, kissing her deeply. On their way out the door, hand in hand, he wondered, briefly, if this astounding woman had any flaws at all, because so far, he couldn't find one. He'd find out, rather soon, because the case they were walking into now, would bring out the best and the worst in the _both_ of them.

**A/N: So, what does he find out about Olivia? What does this case bring up? How to the kids take to Liv? If you wanna know, I will continue. Review and tell me! **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: On this night, a sleepless one, their relationship changes, yet again. But, for the better or worse? It's STILL MY BIRTHDAY (since the last chap was posted **_**after**_** midnight, HA HA), read and review and leave a gifty?? Much love! **

**DISCLAIMER: All characters and cites of SVU belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

Olivia was colder than usual, there was something different about the air in this particular room. Elliot had to leave. Every time the vic, an eighteen year old, so much as glimpsed at him, she recoiled in fear. He was in a conference room with a nurse waiting for the rape kit. It fell into Olivia's lap, then, to get the girl's account of what had happened, but so far, after forty minutes, she had said nothing but "Why me," and one very soft, "Why, again." Elliot was about to go back inside and tell Olivia that they should go, but before he stepped over the threshold of the room, Olivia spoke. "What do you mean, 'again', Laura?"

"The only reason I'm even here, Detective, is because some _asshole_ did the same thing to my mother, and she was too fucking _religious _to get rid of me. So, what, is it some genetic predisposition? Like, green eyes? Or being left-handed? 'Sorry, honey, when you turn eighteen, you're going to inherit _my rape'_," she sobbed. "She should have just had a damn abortion. Who the hell _keep's _their _rapist's_ baby?"

Elliot watched through the door as Olivia's eyes glazed over and her breath hitched. Something just hit her, hard. "No," he heard her say. "Laura, please, do _not_ blame yourself. This was not your fault. And it had _nothing_ to do with what happened to your mother." Olivia reached out a hand and gently grazed the broken girl's shoulder. "I promise you, you will learn, eventually, that her decision to _keep_ you, despite the circumstances, was a _good _one."

Laura scoffed. "How the hell would _you_ know."

"Because, it took me twenty-six _years_ to find my reason, but I'm _finally_ happy my mother kept _me_," Olivia said, looking into the girl's leaking eyes.

"You mean, _you_..."Laura blinked and looked surprised. Olivia just nodded, and Elliot, from the doorway, felt his heart snap in two. She didn't tell him that. But, then again, it's not something you just bring up. He hadn't exactly been forthcoming about _his_ childhood, either. Laura spoke again. "But, you're so _strong_, and confident! And it's your _job_ to put rapists behind _bars_," she said, stopping her crying. "That's gotta be hard to deal with everyday."

"Yeah," Olivia said with a smirk. "I am strong _because of_ what happened to my mother, and the way I was raised. I _had_ to be strong," she said, not wanting to divulge much else. "And I chose to do what I do to_ protect_ and_ defend_ women like our mothers and _you_ and find the pieces of _shit_ who _hurt_ them and make them _pay._ It's the _easiest_ thing in the world for me."

Laura smiled at Olivia. "That's really cool," she said. "I think I could talk to you and your partner now, _if_ you're _sure_ he won't hurt me."

"I _promise_ you, he won't." She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let the tear that had been hanging off the edge of her eye finally fall and she turned her head ever so slightly toward the door. "You can come in, now."

* * *

Elliot had a pounding headache. He had to suffer through the rest of this horrendous night, being eaten up inside, not being able to hold her, comfort her, talk to her, and his normally bad temper was even shorter as a result. He had blown up at Cassidy several times, and all the cretin did was ask to borrow pencils and tape. It was five in the morning, they were getting nowhere fast with this case, he had to pick up his kids in three hours and he was not in _any_ kind of _mood_ to deal with Kathy. Today sucked. It was about to get worse.

"Benson, Stabler," Cragen yelled. "Back to St. Vincent's with you. Two more victims. Sisters." Cragen handed Olivia a slip of paper and they bolted out of the door. They walked into the E.R, flashed their badges, and the same triage nurse who had helped them two hours ago smiled and walked them through to the room where the two girls were waiting. This time, they didn't freak out when they saw Elliot, they simply said that he was a bit intimidating. The girls were twins, and they were huddled together on the hospital bed, trying to deal with what had happened to them.

They talked, openly and freely, almost clinically, about their attack and Olivia and Elliot had to make a conscious effort to keep from interrupting when they were told, coldly, that the girls were the product of their mother's rape.

After getting a full statement, they left the room, with the rape kits from the nurse, and stormed out to their car. "Christ, El, this is one guy. Targeting children of rape victims," Olivia said, venomously.

"How the hell is he finding them?" Elliot asked.

Olivia's eyes widened. She handed the box of medical evidence to Elliot. "Those girls sounded like they had _a lot_ of practice dealing with this, El. They talk about what happened to their mom a lot. What if…"

"There's a support group," Elliot said, finishing her thought for her. Without warning, Olivia ran back into the hospital to ask the three young girls if this theory could be proven.

* * *

By the time they got back to the precinct, it was six-forty-five, Elliot was cranky and Olivia was falling asleep. They had stopped for coffee, but it wasn't helping. Warner had all three rape kits and was processing them as fast as she could. The victims had all taken part in a Church-offered support-group that met once a week for three months before they graduated high-school to be sure they properly healed before going to college.

They were now looking at files of the men who attended, the sons of rape victims and the counselors. Tension was running high, they were overworked and overtired and both dealing with emotional shit, and it made them incredibly irritable, they were snapping at each other, unintentionally.

"Fucking hell, Olivia, he's a priest!" Elliot yelled, _knowing_ that priests were capable of such things, but too tired and irritated to care.

Olivia shouted back. "Yeah, Elliot, a middle aged man who hasn't _had sex_ in over a _decade_, who spent _hours_ talking about intense sexual situations with young women," she barked. "Looks _good_ to me!"

Elliot shook his head and laughed."A man of _God_, Olivia," he spat. "You have no idea what that _cross_ around your neck even _means_, do you?"

"Apparently, I _don't_. You want it _back_?" she yelled. She was about to rip the chain off of her neck, she saw Elliot's eyes widen, when fate by the name of Cragen stepped in.

"Hey! Enough! I know you're tired, and I know this is rough, but we have three girls already hurt, and he could be out there right now working on number four. Can we stop with the theology and try to do some fucking detective work?" He threw a file in the middle of their joined desks. "Laura was a fighter, she scratched the shit out of him. Blood under her nails was his. Munch and Cassidy went to pick him up." He looked at Elliot. "You owe your partner an apology," he said as he walked away.

Elliot opened the file and his head dropped. Staring back at him, in a colorful, smiling, photo in front of a stained glass window, was Father Philip Duncan. The priest who ran the counseling seminar. The man Elliot had just defended, causing the woman he loved a great deal of heartache.

* * *

Seven-fifteen, in the interrogation room, Olivia, playing with the cross around her neck, so grateful that she didn't take it off, sat on the edge of the metal table, glaring at the unholy man in front of her. Elliot, tired, disheveled, and terrorizing, had been yelling and barraging the man, trying to coerce a confession.

"Tell me, Father, when did God tell you it was okay to break your vows? When did you hear the Lord's voice give you express permission to take away the innocence of these girls, huh?" he spat, tossing the hospital photos of the three teens in front of him. "Or, did you do this because God stopped talking to you?"

Olivia shifted and twirled the cross in her fingers, leaning over. She spoke, narrowing her eyes. "No, he didn't stop talking. _You_ stopped _listening_. You gave into the dark, evil, voices that lived _inside _of you, didn't you? Instead of little _boys_, like _most_ of your _pals,_ you chose to go after girls who were _already _victims. Make sure they _remembered_ you, because you traumatized them for a_ second_ time. You made them part of a _legacy_."

"They," the priest began. "They needed to know, they needed to experience it, so they would stop hating their mothers. They had to understand why…"

"Oh," Olivia scoffed, "I don't hate my mother because she was raped. I don't hate her because she kept me." The priest's eyes widened as she leaned over and grabbed him by the cardboard collar. "I hate her because she beat the _shit_ out of me every day for eighteen years because I was a constant _reminder_ of the man who attacked her. _She_ blames _me_, _she_ hates _me_, so you're telling me that _I_ deserve to be _raped_ to understand _why_ my mother's an abusive bitch?" She threw the man, now shaking, into the wall. "Go to hell, Father." Olivia stormed out of the room, blowing passed Cragen, Huang, Munch and Cassidy and out of the building.

Elliot opened the driver's side door, slid in, handed her a hot cup of coffee and brushed the hair out of her eyes. "Father Paul has confessed all of his sins," he said softly.

Olivia nodded, once, pressing her lips together in a flat smile. "Good."

"Liv," he said, caressing her cheek. "I am so…"

"I know. Me, too. I didn't mean to yell at you," she said, leaning her cheek into his hand, craving his touch.

Elliot smiled, softly. "No, baby. I was going to say I'm so _proud _of you. Today must have been so hard on you, and you kept going, and fighting, and it only pushed you harder. I didn't _know_," he whispered as he leaned in closer to her, touching his forehead with hers. "I didn't know, Liv. But, now that I _do_, I know how truly _strong_ and _miraculous_ you are. You had to deal with all by_ yourself_ for so long, but you don't _now_. Not _anymore_." He kissed her with so much feeling she felt it all the way down to the heels of her boots. The warmth and affection, the desire and overwhelming need enveloped her and she did everything she could to ensure that he felt it all in return.

With her forehead still resting against his, she breathed a sigh of relief and took a real deep breathe for the first time since they began this case. "I love you, Elliot."

"Love isn't a strong enough word for what_ this_ is, Liv," he responded, kissing her again. "I love you, too, baby."

She glanced at the clock as he started the car. "Shit, it's _after_ eight! Let's go get your kids."

"After the _all-nighter_ we just pulled, and the _shit_ we dealt with, you _really _want to go pick up my four little _hellions_? I could call Kathy and tell her..."

Olivia interrupted him. "Don't you dare. I want to meet your babies, El. Besides, it's eight o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. They're probably cranky. We can pick them up, take them out for breakfast and then take them back to my place for a nice, long _nap_."

"Like I said, you are miraculous._ My_ miracle. I don't know _how _you don't believe in God, Liv, because I've never been more _sure_ He exists. He gave you back to me," Elliot said sweetly as they drove off to Queens.

"Well, I didn't exactly have a mother who knew how to instill _faith_ in her child," Olivia said, instinctively grabbing her cross. "Maybe you could…um," she started, unsure of what she was even trying to ask.

Elliot looked at her, keeping one eye on the road. "If you want me to, I will. But, I'm _not_ going to _force_ my religion on you. I didn't mean it when I snapped at you. That cross, it was never meant to…"

"I know, El, but, I look at you, and you've got your tattoo and clearly, your faith has helped you through a lot. It's given you strength, right?" Olivia asked.

"You've got _more_ strength than I do, baby. That's _damn_ clear, and it came from _you,_ not _faith._ But, we can work on it, together, if you really want it," he said as they turned off of the bridge.

"I do," she said. "If we're going to be together, I think I should at least _try_ to understand." She grinned at him as they pulled up to his old house and saw the four groggy little munchkins waiting on the steps with a grumpy looking Kathy. "Especially, if you want to raise your children with as much faith as their daddy has. It won't be fair of me to disagree with you, or contradict what you're teaching them."

Elliot's heart melted. "Did you just imply that you're going to be helping me_ raise_ my kids?"

"I didn't _imply_ anything." She opened the door and walked around to his side of the car. "I _said_ it. Loud and clear," she said, opening his door for him. He got out of the car and laughed heartily as his babies ran down to meet him.

From her spot on the steps, Kathy glared, angrily and looked on in a fit of jealousy as she saw Elliot introduce her children to Olivia. They seemed _very_ taken with her, they even _hugged_ her, and as they got into the car, Elliot cupped Olivia's face and kissed her. Kathy seethed. He had never, _ever_, kissed _her_ like that. Something had to be done, but she didn't want to hurt Elliot. This was a problem.

**A/N: Wow, that was long. But was it worth it? Next chapter, as always, if you want it! We'll get their day with the kids and find out what Kathy plans to do!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: A day with the munchkins, but it's cut short. How does Liv give El the best of both worlds? And what sardonic plan has Kathy come up with?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns characters and copyrights of SVU. The story, dialogue, and other intellectual property belong to TStabler©**

"Um, Dickie, kiddo, are you sure you wouldn't like to sit on an actual _chair_?" Elliot asked his four year old boy. The tyke had perched himself on Olivia's lap the moment they'd arrived at the diner.

Dickie turned his little head around to peer at Olivia, then he looked at his dad and gave a very serious, "Nope, I'm good."

"How come _he_ gets to sit on her? This chair's hard and _sticky_. My _butt_ hurts," Lizzie, his twin sister, whined. Olivia tried not to laugh. She knew she shouldn't be encouraging this. She had only known them for ten minutes.

Maureen, Elliot's seven-year-old, sent a packet of pancake syrup flying across the table and it whapped Lizzie in the head. "Daddy says don't whine. It makes you sound immature."

"I'm _four_," the tiny blonde said, heaving the syrup back at her sister.

Olivia couldn't help it; she laughed a big, warm, laugh. "Girls, stop. What did the syrup ever do to you?" Elliot covered his mouth to keep the coffee from flying out when he laughed. Olivia continued. "Lizzie, honey, when the pancakes come, you and your brother can switch, okay? And Maureen is right, whining _is_ for little kids, and _you're_ not a little kid are you? You're a _big_ girl now, right?"

Lizzie smiled, a big toothy grin, and nodded. Elliot wished with all his might, at that moment, that Olivia had been the girl that gave him these babies.

Kathleen, the six-year-old, who was eating strawberry jam right out of the little package, looked up at her father. "Daddy, I like Olivia. Can we keep her?"

Before Elliot could answer, the waiter brought over their plates of pancakes and Lizzie leaped from her seat, scrambling for Olivia's lap and yanking Dickie off of her leg.

They finished their breakfast, happily, and Elliot paid, after arguing with Olivia. They piled back into the car and drove home. Elliot and Olivia were yawning, struggling to keep their eyes open. They made it back to Olivia's apartment and, as soon as their jackets were off, the kids piled onto the couch with expectant looks on their faces. Olivia chuckled and tossed Maureen the remote. Then, she and Elliot cuddled up on the loveseat and waited, knowing that before the first cartoon was over they'd be fast asleep.

"They like you," Elliot whispered to Olivia, sleepily, as his head rested against hers, his eyes closed, his arms wrapped tightly around her, securely.

Olivia, her eyes closed and her arms wrapping around Elliot's muscular ones, hummed and smiled. "I'm glad. I like them, too. You're an amazing father," she whispered softly to him.

He pressed a delicate kiss to the top of her head, whispered, "I love you," and fell closer to sleep, but it wasn't until he heard her soft response of, "I love you more, you sexy Marine," that their exhaustion of having been awake for over twenty-four hours finally swept them away.

* * *

There was a low, vibrating sensation in Elliot's pants, two hours later. He grinned and moaned in Olivia's ear. "Liv, honey, what are you doing?"

"That's not me, El. That's your phone," she said with a hoarse chuckle, wiping the sleep out of her eyes.

"Oh," he said, disappointed. "I knew you, uh, weren't a _toy_ person." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone as Olivia stretched, yawned and went to rouse the sleeping kids. "Stabler. Oh, Cap, I have my kids…I know, but…yeah, I can call Olivia, but what am I supposed to…he hung up on me," he said looking up at Olivia with shock and confusion in his eyes. "I guess we have to take the kids back to Kathy."

"Nooooo," Kathleen cried, sounding like a wounded ghost.

Dickie, rubbing his eyes and yawning, said, "Can't we just come to work with you?"

Olivia looked up at Elliot and smirked, waking up _every_ part of his body in an instant. She looked back down at the little boy. "Sure you can, Dickie."

"Liv, how _the hell_ are we gonna…" Elliot started.

"El,_ trust_ me." Olivia tapped all of the kids, prodding them off of the couch. "Okay, coats on, shoes tied. You are all deputy detectives as of right _now_, and we have been called to a crime scene. Move it, move it, move it!"

Elliot had never seen his kids smile so brightly or move so quickly. They were ready in minutes and _they_ were actually begging_ him_ to move faster. "Dad, let's go!" Maureen cried, "The evidence is waiting!"

"Where did you hear _that_?" he asked, laughing, as they walked out of the door. "From you!" she yelled to her father, making Elliot and Olivia laugh as they ran after the four tiny bodies, down the hall and out of the building.

The six of them burst through the entrance of the Special Victims Unit, the four kids marching in a single file line, followed by Elliot and Olivia. "Up the stairs and to your left, Detectives Stabler, Stabler, Stabler, and Stabler. You have an assignment, and you are not to come back down here until it has been completed!" Olivia said with a mock-serious voice.

"Yes, Captain Benson," they all shouted in an enthusiastic, slow, yell.

Cragen stared after the four kids who were running up to the staff lounge with boxes and Elliot's stapler. "What the hell are _they_ doing here?"

Elliot looked at the harrowed looking chief. "I'm a father, I couldn't find a babysitter, and you called me in. This was my only option," he said with a shrug.

"What the hell are they gonna do here all day while _you_ are working on this case?"

Olivia smirked. "Sort and staple all of our DD5's," she said, sipping the coffee they'd stopped for on the way to the precinct.

Cragen looked at Olivia with a raised eyebrow. "Wait, this was _your_ idea, Benson?"

"Well, they either came with him or he had to give up his first day with them in almost a week. What would you do?" she asked, raising her eyebrow right back at him. She was new, but she wasn't afraid to go head-to-head with this man. Something told her he couldn't get mad at either one of them. Not really.

Cragen sighed and softened. "Fine, but they stay _up there_ and out of the way, and you _keep _them _busy_. This is a child molestation case and they don't need to hear or see anything about it, got it?"

"Yeah, that's _not_ a problem," Elliot said, his stomach turning at the thought of dealing with this. He hated the ones that had child victims. They always, no matter what, reminded him of his kids. Cragen handed Elliot the file. "It looks like it's going to be open and shut. Everything's on the prick's home video collection. I called _you two_ in to work the guy over, we need a confession and a statement. Huang is with the most recent vic. A boy. He's six. Novak's on her way and Munch and Cassidy are hauling the guy in."

"_Kathleen_ is six," Elliot said, his stomach lurching. He read the first account in the file and tossed it to Olivia, disgusted. Munch brought in the suspect and Elliot spun around, instantly angry. "You sick fuck," he yelled, shoving the man out of Munch's hands and up against the wall. "These kids _trusted_ you, you were supposed to _take care_ of them. You were their_ teacher_!"

"I _was_ teaching them something. How to feel, how to love," the man offered, trembling, pathetic.

Elliot wrapped a hand around his throat. "Elliot," Olivia said, a warning tone in her voice. He ignored her and lifted the man a few inches off the floor. "You _taught_ them how to be _afraid_ of _everyone_ in their lives, including their own _fathers_," he whispered closely to the man's face.

"Elliot!" Olivia barked. He turned to face her and she was holding Lizzie over her shoulder, facing her away from him, "I think that's _enough_."

Elliot's eyes widened as he dropped the man to the floor. "Did she see…" he mouthed, but Olivia furrowed her brow and shook her head before he finished.

"She needs to use the bathroom, so I'm going to take her," Olivia said. "Why don't you take Mr. Antolini into the interrogation room? I'll be in there in a minute." She walked out of the bullpen carrying Lizzie, who looked very content to be in Olivia's arms.

* * *

Moments later, Elliot was in the interrogation room, picking up where he left off with Antolini, gripping him around the neck, telling him what a monster he was. As the door creaked open, Elliot knew that the voice of reason, his _guardian angel_, had entered the room.

"Antolini," she said, "By now, you know my partner doesn't like you. He wants to _kill_ you, actually, and no one in this building would blame him. Hell, I'd stay and _watch_. But, he's not going to. Do you know why?" Olivia stepped forward and gently tugged Elliot's hand away from Antolini's throat.

"Wh-why?" the petrified man asked.

Olivia smirked. "Because, spending eighty years, ten for _each boy_ you hurt, behind bars, becoming a _victim_, having _your _soul destroyed, by angry, large, barbaric men like _you_ is worse than death." Olivia pushed Elliot out of the way, stood in front of Antolini and bored into his eyes. "Killing you would be _merciful_, and my partner and I want nothing more than to see you _suffer_."

Antolini paled. "I..I..if I talk, will I get a deal?"

"The only deal _you'll _be making is with the boys at Rikers. Which one of them gets to _break you in_?" she asked through clenched teeth. Antolini dropped his head to his hands and sobbed. He broke down and gave them a full confession, retelling every horrible detail. Neither Elliot nor Olivia wanted to _hear_ it, so they made him write it down and sign it. When they had read it, and lost their appetites, they gave it to Cragen who nodded, thanked them, and told Elliot to take the kids and go home. Then, he told Olivia to take the DD5 home with _her_ and type it up tonight. Olivia sent Elliot a look. Poor, clueless Cragen.

"Guys," Elliot called up the stairs. "We're going home."

Maureen came down first, carrying a stack of stapled files. Kathleen followed with a stack of her own. Dickie came down next with a smaller stack and Lizzie ran down with the stapler. As they ran passed Cragen, they handed him their respective piles of paperwork, and Lizzie, the little cutie, placed the stapler on the very top of the stack in his hands with a smile. "Bye!" she said, brightly. The Stabler clan, and Olivia, left the bullpen, leaving Cragen puzzled and amused, holding a month's worth of DD5's.

* * *

Olivia had just finished tucking the blanket around Maureen, on the new air mattress on her living room floor, when she heard Elliot's whispered voice. "Hey," he said. "Come here."

She padded softly to the bedroom doorway where he stood, trying to be quiet so she wouldn't wake the kids who had fallen asleep as soon as their heads hit their new pillows. "What?" she asked. Elliot pulled her into the room and closed the door, leaving it open only a crack in case the kids needed them. He crashed his lips down onto hers, pulling her firmly against him. "You are some kind of wonderful, you know that?" he asked as he tore away from her lips and tugged her shirt open and off, kissing down her heaving chest, licking across her collarbone.

She braced herself around him when he hurled her onto the bed and covered her body with his. "El, your kids are…"

"Sound asleep. And weren't you the one who proved, made it quite fucking clear, that we can be pretty damn quiet?" he said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He tugged her pants off of her long, athletic legs and ran his hands up them, from the ankles, tracing filigree shapes over her skin with his fingertips. "I love you. I'm in love with you. You were amazing with my kids today, I found myself wanting, _wishing_, _you_ _were_ their _mother_." His hands hooked into the red, silk panties she wore, and he slid them down her body.

"El," she said. "I have this insane _desire _to protect them. I know I only just met them, but the whole time, with Antolini today, I just kept thinking, if he ever even _thought_ about your kids…" she was cut off when Elliot kissed her. As his tongue ran across her lip, seeking entrance to her mouth, which was then granted, his fingers sought entrance elsewhere, which was _also _granted, as she writhed and trembled beneath him. "I know," he whispered as he inserted another finger, making her moan ever-so-softly. "I saw it in your eyes, I can see everything in your eyes," he said, gazing at her as she bit her lip, and he brushed his thumb across her clit. "I see my life, baby. _My_ life is in _your _eyes." He kissed her, tugging gently on her bottom lip, and he reveled in the soft, choking gasp she let out as he swiped her clit again as his fingers thrust in and out of her.

She brought her hands up and cupped his face. She looked into his eyes, his cerulean blue orbs, and smiled as she came, quietly, gently, delicately. "Our life," she said. "El, it's _our_ life. And I see it in _your_ eyes, too. Because, everything you see in my eyes? It's _all_ reflected in yours."

He took off his shirt and she pulled off his belt, and he wormed out of his pants. He slid inside of her with a silent groan of relief and a soft grunt. In their silent ecstasy, they remained _blissfully oblivious_ as somewhere across town, a woman scorned was meeting with an amoral man, taking the first step in exacting her revenge.

"And you're sure you want to go through with this?" the gruff voiced man asked over the noise of the crowded bar.

Kathy grimaced. "I have to do something," she said. "She took away my husband before I even had him. I have to make her pay."

The man flicked his cigarette. "And you think that this is the way? Isn't this a little extreme?"

"You're getting paid," she said. "So just shut up and do it." Kathy slipped the white envelope across the table and stormed out of the bar. The man laughed, took out his cell phone and dialed the number. "Hello, Mr. McCoy? I heard there was an opening in the D. A's office. My name? Langan. Trevor Langan."

**A/N: What did Kathy ask him to do?? Is it going to work, or will it be too late? Review! If you want me to continue… **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: What happens when Trevor walks back into Olivia's life? How will Elliot react to seeing what he looks like now and why he's there? Who's the new detective? (forgive the Spanish, I tried...and probably failed. Blame Babel Fish)**

**DISCLAIMER:** **All characters and cites of SVU belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

"Si. Señora, venga por favor a la comisaría de policías, la unidad de las víctimas especial, dar una declaración. Gracias," Olivia said, hanging up the phone.

Elliot looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't know you spoke Spanish, Liv."

"I am _unbelievably_ lingual, El. Spanish is just the tip of the iceberg." She smirked, winked and got up to get a cup of coffee. As she was coming back, Munch and Cassidy brought in a very angry looking man, and behind them, a woman, crying, brought in her teenage daughter. "Oh, here we go," Olivia said, stepping up to the crying mother. Elliot rose and followed Munch and the cuffed man into the interrogation room, but Cragen stopped them.

"Okay, I appreciate you're all being proactive about this, but _no_." Cragen crossed his arms. "Cassidy, you'll interview Mrs. Grovson and her daughter with Munch. Benson and Stabler, _you_ take _Mr._ Grovson. Get what you can _now,_ his lawyer's on his way." He turned and stormed back into his office, slamming the door behind him.

The group of detectives looked at each other, eyeing one another in turn, and then they all shrugged. Olivia solemnly touched Mrs. Grovson's shoulder and stepped away walking toward Elliot. Munch threw Mr. Grovson into Elliot's arms and walked briskly to Mrs. Grovson. Cassidy took a deep breath, trembled a bit, and walked over to the young girl. It was like watching a game of musical chairs.

Elliot shoved Grovson into the interrogation room and forcefully pushed him into a chair. Olivia perched on the edge of the table, folding her arms, and sneered at the man.

"You know they don't call it _corporal punishment_ in New York anymore? Yeah, now it's called _child abuse_," Olivia said, furrowing her brow.

"If it was just a little spanking, it would be perfectly _legal_, I mean, every kid needs _some_ discipline. But you? You brought out the _big_ guns! Whips, chains, leather straps. What, exactly, were you hitting her with when Detective Munch found you?"

Olivia raised her hand, "Oh, I know!"

Elliot laughed. "Yes, Detective Benson?"

"The _toaster_," she said, gritting her teeth. She leered over Grovson and leaned in, menacingly. "You hit your fourteen year old daughter, in the stomach, with the toaster. Why _the hell_ would you do that?"

Grovson bit his lip, then sighed and looked up at Olivia. "She burnt it," he said, mumbling.

"I'm sorry, what?" Elliot said. "I couldn't hear you."

Grovson yelled. "The toast! She _burnt_ the damn toast! What kid of incompetent _bitch_ can't make toast?"

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe you had a faulty toaster?" Olivia said, shocked, appalled and disgusted.

The door swung open and all of the eyes in the room turned to look at the figure who had entered the room. "You're not _really _questioning my client without me, are you? See, now _that's _cheating."

"Trevor," Olivia said, her eyes wide and her stomach lurching. "What are _you_ doing here?"

"Defending this man, Olivia. What are _you_ doing here?" He said, in an arrogant manner.

Elliot was livid. So, _this_ was what Trevor Langan turned into? He was tall, sqaure-jawed and lean. Quite tall, but Elliot was taller. He oozed power and money, and other general sleazebag qualities. "She's doing her job," Elliot said. "As am I."

"Oh, so, your job includes harassment and questioning under duress without representation?" Trevor said to Elliot, but never taking his eyes off of Olivia.

Elliot scoffed. "We were just having a friendly _chat_. You're more than _welcome _to join us."

"Oh," Trevor said. "I will." He finally turned to face Elliot and he paled. _This_ was the man he was supposed to make incredibly jealous and steal Olivia away from? Was Kathy _insane_? Elliot could tear his limbs _off_ with very little effort, and he looked as if he wanted to do just that. "We haven't met. Trevor Langan."

"Detective Stabler," Elliot said in a cold, formal tone, refusing to give this man his first name. Not like he hadn't heard Olivia moaning it her sleep for the better part of four years. "Sit," Elliot ordered. "Let's talk."

They finished their interview with Grovson, and, despite Trevor's presence, advice and objections, the man lost his temper quite a lot and ultimately ended up confessing. Trevor asked the detectives to offer him a deal, to which Olivia replied, "Fifty bucks says the jury finds him guilty."

"Not exactly the kids of deal I had in mind," Trevor said.

"Oh, what? Are you afraid you're gonna lose or afraid our A.D.A will make you cry?" Olivia asked, spitefully.

"Or both?" Elliot added, grinning.

Trevor sighed. "Fine, Olivia, just, please, have him arraigned quickly. He doesn't do well in small spaces with strangers." A uniformed officer came in to take Grovson down to a holding cell, and the detectives and Trevor got out of their seats. They were almost out of the room when Trevor grabbed Olivia, spun her around and kissed her.

Elliot was nauseous at the sight, but felt a surge of pride when he watched Olivia push Trevor away and land a swift right hook to his cheek. "What the hell, Langan?" she yelled.

"Olivia, Jesus," he cried, rubbing his cheek. "I thought that..."

She cut him off. "You thought that you would get a job with my division, sit it on _one _interrogation and it would make me want to _kiss_ you?"

"No, I thought that you had _enough time_ to do whatever you needed to do, _find_ yourself or _whatever_. Olivia, _please_," he said, almost sounding sincere. Maybe a part of him was.

Olivia wiped her mouth on her sleeve and her face was still contorted in a grimace. "Trevor, look," she said. "I don't know what mental _defect_ you've developed in the last year, but we broke up because the _entire time_ we were together I was thinking of someone _else_! You _heard_ me moaning his name and you flipped! You were threatened by a _dream_, you insecure little weasel. I didn't go off to find myself, or because I needed space. I went off to find _him_! Because I _needed_ him!"

Trevor took a step forward. "Okay, so as long as it's just a _dream_ I can deal with it. Come back to me."

"He's _not_ just a dream. He's back in my life, Trevor. He's _mine_. I _have_ him, and I'll be _damned_ if I'm giving him up. Not for _you_, or anyone _else._ And if you ever, _ever_, touch me again, the gun on my hip will be lodged so far up your ass the surgeon will have to pull it out through your _nose_." Olivia turned on her heels and barreled out of the interrogation room.

Elliot stepped forward and peered down at Trevor. "She won't be the _only_ one hurting you if you ever touch her again," he said, narrowing his eyes and grinning.

"Yeah," Trevor said, still rubbing his sore cheekbone. "I know. I, uh, I know who _you_ are."

"And you thought it was wise to make a dumbass move like that right _in front_ of me?" he asked lolling his head to left, and smirking.

Trevor lowered his voice and gritted his teeth. "I knew you wouldn't _do_ anything. You're Captain was watching everything through that window. If she hits me it's understandable, if you hit me, it'll expose your relationship. You wouldn't want that would you?"

"No," Elliot's eyes widened. "But, _you _do! You _wanted _me to hit you so Liv and I would get in trouble. How did you even know where we..." he paused, thinking. "Oh, okay, this has Kathy written _all _over it," he squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "I _knew_ she was giving up too easily. What did she _pay_ you? I'll give you _double_ if you do _me_ a favor."

* * *

"Benson," Cragen said, stepping out of his office. "You can go home. You're done." He looked as if there was something plaguing his mind.

"I know, I just, um, Elliot gave me a ride. I don't have a car. Who _drives_ in New York, right?" she said, smiling.

Cassidy stepped out of the captain's office, sullen and shaky. Without saying anything, he walked over to his locker and opened it, cleaning it out.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked, looking at Cassidy.

"I, uh, I can't do this anymore." He packed all of his things into a box and slammed the locker shut, then made his way over to his desk, opening the drawers. "That girl, her story? Her father, her own _father_, I just can't _deal _with this shit anymore! I'm not like _you_, Olivia, I can't hear this shit and see these bodies and pictures and listen to the details of some psycho's idea of a good time and then go home and _forget_ it! It's in my _head_, all the fucking _time_! I'm _done_!" Elliot had come out of the interrogation room, Trevor following behind him, now holding his nose from the single blow Elliot threw.

"Woah, who said I _forget_ it?" Olivia asked, moving over to his desk. "I have not forgotten a single case, a single story, or a single face since I became _a cop_. It's _twice _as hard for me since I've been _here_, at SVU, but..."

"You're _stronger_ than me, Olivia. And you have an _escape_. You have someone you can share it with, vent to, talk about it. You have someone you can go home to at night and he will let you curl up on his lap and cry, or he'll let you fuck his brains out because the perp pissed you off, am I right?" Cassidy looked at her, then looked at Elliot. "You have someone who understands and can help you survive. That makes all the difference."

"Where are you going?" Olivia asked.

Cassidy lifted his box up into his arms, walked toward the door, and over his shoulder he yelled, "Narcotics."

* * *

Olivia turned the key, and Maureen and Kathleen pushed passed her, threw off their coats and toed off their shoes, collapsing onto the air mattress, not even bothering to change, and pulled their blankets up. They were asleep in seconds. Olivia laid a sleeping Lizzie, whom she had been carrying, in her spot and tucked her in as Elliot did the same for Dickie, who had also fallen asleep in the car. Then, Olivia and Elliot quietly walked into Olivia's bedroom, leaving the door open only a hair, as they had been doing for the past three nights.

"What a _night_. Trevor shows up, kisses me, we _both_ end up _punching_ him, then Cassidy _leaves_." Olivia threw her jacket into the hamper. "So, what _were_ you and Trevor talking about that made you whop him one?" Olivia asked, unbuttoning her shirt.

Elliot smirked and shoved her hands aside, taking over the job himself. "Oh, uh, that _kiss_, actually. Someone kind of put him up to it, hoping I would fly off the handle and get us both in trouble."

"What? Who?" she asked, her breath hitching as Elliot's calloused, yet, somehow soft hands skimmed the cotton shirt off of her body, then unhooked her bra, removing that from her shapely form as well.

"Kathy," he said, gently grazing a nipple with his open palm. "She is gonna be pissed when she finds out her little plan didn't work."

Olivia's head was thrown back, and her lower lip was between her teeth. "Mmm hmm," she said, affirming Elliot's assumption. Elliot chuckled, amused that Olivia Benson was speechless. He tweaked her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, and, using his other hand, he got her out of her pants. She kicked off her own shoes and brought her head back up, grabbed the sides of Elliot's face and kissed him.

As Olivia ripped her mouth away from his to pull his tie and shirt off, he dropped his pants and shoved off his boxers and said, "She's going to be even more pissed off when she finds out that he can be bought _way_ too easily, and the little troll is on_ our_ side now." Olivia looked at him, confused. "What?"

He picked her up, carried her over to the bed, and plopped her down, leaping on top of her. "He works in the D.A's office, and he knows Kathy. He's going to make sure she not only _signs_ the papers, but then he's going to hand deliver them to a lawyer with a _written statement_ and the list she gave him of things to do, but he's a smart man. He won't try them. All of which might affect her shot at getting the kids." Elliot bent his head and suckled on her neck as he sheathed himself inside of Olivia, pushing deeply, and began a slow thrust.

They were both letting soft moans, breathy gasps and airy chokes escape, but it wasn't enough. Elliot needed to _hear_ Olivia. He missed her _delicious_ noises. He knew that, somehow, _tomorrow_, he needed to find a way to get her alone and make her_ scream_.

* * *

"Uh, excuse me? Is this the Special Victims Unit? I'm lookin' for Benson, Stabler and Captain Cragen."

"I'm Captain Cragen, but Benson and Stabler have gone home for the evening."

The man looked around the bullpen and smirked. "Oh, uh, I was just told to see them because they were the best, and Benson was new not too long ago, he could help me adjust."

"She," Cragen corrected. "Detective Benson's a woman."

"Oh, nice. I'm the transfer from Narcotics," the stranger said, handing Cragen a file.

Cragen looked him up and down, then smirked. "Welcome to SVU, Detective Tutuola."

**A/N: Oh, so now we get to see how the nickname 'Baby-Girl' is born. And where, exactly, is Elliot gonna take Olivia where she can be loud? Should I continue?? Reviews make my heart happy.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So where, exactly, are they gonna go to fulfill Elliot's diabolical plan? How do Munch, Liv and Elliot react to meeting Fin? It all happens tonight, **_**Esta Noche**_

**DISCLAIMER:** **SVU and its**** characters belong to Dick Wolf. Narrative, Plot, Dialogue and anything Original belong to TStabler©**

It was past five, the day had been slow. A few interrogations, a few victim statements, and a couple of domestic violence calls. Munch and his new partner had been busy, wandering the building the way Elliot and Olivia had on her first day. Olivia had helped him out a lot, too, with his computer, showing him how to run the programs and search engines. They had gotten pretty close, pretty quick, and Elliot remained lost in his own world. It was pretty dull, at the moment, so he was working on paperwork, typing and signing DD5's, but he suddenly stopped. It got very quiet. He was thinking.

Elliot loved the way his life had been since Olivia had been given back to him. It felt so _right_, so _natural_. He loved having his kids around, too, and his kids_ loved_ Olivia. Maureen and Kathleen were in school during the week, and Lizzie and Dickie went to work with him and Olivia, either stapling files together in the staff lounge or hanging out in the precinct daycare center. The only thing that bothered him, the only _negative_ amongst a _huge list_ of positives, was the forced silence that had imposed itself on their sex-life. Olivia made some _incredible_ noises, and for the last week, all he heard from her were quiet gasps and sexy little pants. The sex was still _mind-blowing_, how could it _not_ be, but there was just something about the way she growled and groaned that made it _that_ much better, and he was determined, somehow, someway,_ tonight_, to hear it _all_. _If_ his plan worked.

He had been _so _lost in his thoughts, hearing her moaning and whimpering and crying his name in his head, and he had the most erotic expression on his face, that he hadn't heard, or seen, Cragen, and some new guy crowding around his desk. Olivia leaned over from her side of their joined desks and knew, by instinct, where his brain had gone.

"Stabler!" they all shouted.

"Ahh! Oh," he yelled, shaking his head. "Sorry, I, uh, was just, thinking." He couldn't look at Olivia. He was already hard as a rock, and _looking_ at her would make it _painful_. "What's up?" he said, blinking, looking at Cragen.

Cragen furrowed his brow. "Elliot Stabler, this is Odafin Tutuola, Cassidy's replacement."

"Hey, man," Elliot said, holding out his hand. "Tutuola, that's, uh, what? French?"

The new guy laughed. "No, not French. I _look_ French?" he asked, chuckling, and shaking Elliot's hand. "It's Nigerian. Call me Fin, by the way. It makes life easier for everyone."

"Okay, Fin. Welcome to SVU. Good luck working with Munch. He'll try to convince you that the government is _evil_ and Elvis lives on _Mars_." Elliot chuckled, tossing his pen in the air and leaning back in his chair.

They all shared a laugh. Cragen glanced at Olivia and Elliot. "Munch is going to be showing Fin the ropes around here, like you did with Benson. If anything comes in, for the rest of the night, it's _yours_."

"Oh, _wonderful_," Olivia mumbled, as Cragen and Fin walked away.

Elliot scoffed. "What, you _don't_ wanna go out in the field with me today?"

"It wouldn't be a problem if _someone_ let me _sleep_ for more than twenty minutes," she said, looking at him through slitted eyes. "Really, El?"

"What can I say, Liv? I can't get _enough_ of you." He winked at her and sipped his coffee.

She shook her head and smirked. "Do you have _any_ idea how _hard_ it is to _stay_ that quiet when you just keep _going_?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Yep."

Cragen came out of his office, simpering. "Stabler, can you tell me why I just got a call from that sleezy A.D.A, Langan, requesting a meeting with you and Benson at the Hyatt?"

Elliot smirked. That little weasel knew how to follow directions. "Uh, yeah, it's about his client, the guy with the, uh, toaster. He wants to plead guilty, but we have more questions."

"We can't do that _here_?" Olivia asked.

"No, Liv, we can't. You know Trevor. He's _pond scum_. He'd do _anything_ to milk the D.A's office out of an expensive business dinner," Elliot said, rising to his feet.

Olivia shrugged. "Okay, Cap, call us if we catch anything, please? For the love of _God_? The less time I have to spend with that obnoxious _ass_, the happier I will be."

"You got it." Cragen stepped back into his office.

"Bye Munch," Elliot said. "Later Fin." Olivia waved and smiled at them both.

"See ya, guys!" Fin shouted, looking after them in reverence.

* * *

They pulled up to the Hyatt at five-forty-five, got out of the car and strolled into the lobby. Elliot had a smug smirk on his face, and Olivia looked nauseous. Trevor was sitting on a lounge chair, with a martini and the evening news. He looked up as he felt the two detectives stop in front of him. "Hello, Olivia. Detective Stabler," Trevor said. Elliot sat in the chair across from him as he continued. "I hand delivered the package to Jack McCoy, and in approximately three weeks your marriage will be null and void. Kind of a waste of seven years, but, uh, the D.A went for it. Kathy didn't deny it. It _was_ entrapment."

Olivia looked at Elliot and raised an eyebrow. "We're not talking about the Grovson case," she gathered.

"Oh, very good, Detective Benson," Elliot said with a laugh, pulling her down to the seat, on his lap.

This action made Trevor clear his throat, but he kept speaking. "Aside from that, she won't give up_ all_ her parental rights, but she has _no_ desire to be a_ full-time_ mother. Every other weekend and a few random holidays are fine with her. We can work out a deal during the custody hearing, and she won't fight you on whatever decision you make."

"Wait, _Trevor's_ your _divorce_ attorney?" Olivia asked, turning her head toward Elliot.

He smirked and winked at her. "_Annullment_ attorney."

"Yeah," Trevor said. "At the threat of severe bodily _harm_. Here's your key, you have to be out by eight or the D.A will get very suspicious. Don't spend an exorbitant amount of money, please. It's my first week on the job, I don't want anyone getting suspicious of my business transactions already." He sipped his martini and picked up his paper. "I'll be here when you're ready to leave. We have to be seen leaving at the same time or we're _all_ fucked. Not just the _two of you."_

Elliot chuckled, then pushed Olivia up and grabbed her hand, taking her toward the elevator. "Elliot," she said, a warning tone in her voice. "What the hell is going on?"

"Um, dinner with Trevor?" he said with a goofy grin as he pushed the call button. "Liv, baby, just trust me, okay?"

"I trust you," she said, swinging their joined hands. "I don't trust _him._ Anything that _he's _a part of can't be very good."

"Oh," Elliot said, raising his eyes toward the ceiling, "This is _good_." The elevator doors opened and they stepped into it, and the ride only lasted a moment. He yanked her out as the doors opened again and he pulled her, hurriedly, down the hall, growing more excited and more impatient. He struggled to swipe the card key, his hand was shaking, but he got the door open and pushed her inside.

Olivia spun around. "What the _fuck?"_

"Exactly." He practically ripped his tie off, and tossed his jacket on the floor. He stepped up to Olivia and pulled her blazer off of her body, then nimbly unbuttoned her shirt, yanking it off in seconds.

"El," she said. "Honey, what has gotten into you?"

Elliot smirked, like the Devil, as he tugged on her pants. "Baby, it's not what's gotten into _me_," he said snidely. "It's what's _about_ to get into _you_." He latched on to her lips with his and control was lost. Tongues mingled and her French-vanilla coffee seeped into his mocha. Her slacks dropped with a whisper to the floor and he walked them closer to the bed, stepping out of his own pants and pushing his shorts down along the way. She gave in, then, biting his bottom lip, suckling, making quick work of his shirt and throwing it across the room. He pushed her down onto the bed, breaking their frenzied kiss, and gripped the sides of her panties, sliding them down and off, and he pulled her shoes and socks off tossing them over his head, never taking his eyes off hers. He snaked his way back up her body, like a panther stalking its prey, eyes locked on hers, and he stopped to grapple with her bra, winning the battle and chucking it to the floor.

He peered down at her, gazing into her eyes, and as his fingers trickled along her hot skin, setting all of her nerves on fire, he positioned himself at her entrance, feeling the wet heat emitting from her core and his eyes closed in anticipation, he smiled and he bent his head. "Baby," he whispered.

Through gasping, harrowed breaths, she asked. "Yeah?"

His eyes remained closed as he pushed, only his tip, into her with an immaculate groan and he heard her moan and it was _amazing_. He licked his lips and turned his head, opened his eyes, slowly, and gazed into hers as he said, "Scream."

She did, his name, very loudly, as he thrust into her deeply and powerfully, and he growled in response. "God, Liv, I missed hearing that." He pulled out, all the way, and shoved himself all of the way in again, as his hands found hers and grabbed, linking their fingers and pulling them up over her head.

"Jesus, El, my God," she cried, then moaned, then screamed again as he found a rather enjoyable spot inside of her that he just kept hitting in the most pleasurable way.

Elliot bent his head to kiss, bite, suck and lick every curve, crevice and surface of skin that he could reach until he found her mouth. He teased her, licking her lips, always staying just out of reach, pulling away as she reached out for him. "Not fair," she said on a moan. He chuckled. "I love the way you sound, baby. That's why I did this. I couldn't _wait_ to hear you." He felt her clenching, tightening around him, and he grew harder, more excited himself. He loved the way she growled and whimpered and said his name, almost like a prayer, when she came. "God, baby. I wanna _hear_ you _cum_ for me," he whispered to her, finally giving her the lip-to-lip contact she'd been crying for.

"Oh, El," she panted. She felt him speed up, working harder, moving faster. He bit her neck and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. Then he pulled away, looked into her eyes, and he felt his own release approaching. They remained, eyes locked, as she moaned, whined and cried his name. He grunted and groaned and prayed to only her and God. And then the moment he'd been waiting for, she clamped down on him and screamed his name, it came out in a feral growl, and her nails dug into his back. He, too, growled her name as he spilled everything he had inside of her, and kissed her, passionately, lovingly, in relief and ecstasy.

He stroked her hair and kissed her slowly, bringing the both of them down from the fabulous high. "Hey, baby," he said as he saw her eyes refocus. "Welcome back."

"Same to you," she said with a dazed tone to her voice. "God, I needed that. I _love_ your voice, the way you moan, the way you growl."

"As much as I love my kids, I am_ really_ gonna love every other weekend and random holidays." The two of them, still joined, laughed. Then, glanced at the clock. Seven-fifty, Right on time.

* * *

Munch looked up from his desk as Olivia and Elliot walked back into the bullpen. "How'd it go? You offer him a deal?"

"Uh, no," Elliot said. "Langan and Grovson stayed pretty quiet."

Olivia smirked as she poured a cup of coffee. "Stabler, however, couldn't keep _his_ mouth _shut_."

"Oh, I seem to recall _you_ having a few things to say, yourself, Benson," Elliot said, returning her smirk.

On her way back to her desk, she tripped, landing in Fin's arms. "Easy, Baby-Girl, I gotcha. Somethin' sticky on the floor there. I did the same thing before," he said with a wink.

"Baby-Girl?" she asked, smiling.

Fin balked. "Oh, uh, yeah. I didn't think…"

"It's cool. Thanks, Fin." She sat at her desk, and Cragen walked out of his office. He walked over to her, solemnly, and waited. "Okay, what, Cap?"

"Olivia, we have a suspect in a cold case, and you're the only one around here with a connection to the victim," Cragen sighed. "I need you to locate her and bring her in, Benson. You're the only one who knows where she is, and the only one she's going to listen to. However, you can't question her when she gets here, even though you probably know more about her case than I do."

"Whoa, Cap, slow down. Who are we talking about?" Olivia straightened up in her chair. Elliot leaned forward, concerned, and Munch and Fin popped their heads up.

Cragen, feeling like he shouldn't say this in front of everyone, leaned close, so only Olivia and Elliot could hear her. He looked at Elliot, nervously, and then looked into Olivia's eyes. "Your mother."

**A/N: Well, how was it? I tried to make it as plausible as possible…they couldn't do it in the precinct, and they couldn't go home. And…oh, snap! Elliot meets Serena? **


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: What will Serena say to Elliot? What will Elliot say to Serena and the suspect they bring in? Will Olivia say anything to anybody? So many questions...and only one night, una noche, to answer them.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

Olivia got off the phone with her mother, and after much arguing, she agreed to go down to the precinct in the morning. She looked at the phone in her hands, for a moment longer than necessary, and settled it back on the nightstand. "Hey," Elliot said from the bedroom doorway. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Just have to make my mother re-live the most horrible experience of her life, which she still hates and blames me for, and possibly meet my father, all in the same day. Everything is _perfect_."

Elliot smirked sadly and stepped into the room, sat on the bed beside her, pulling her close to him. "It's gonna be okay, baby." He kissed her forehead. "I'm here. I'm gonna be _there,_ tomorrow, too. _All _day and _all_ night." He tilted her head, kissed her kips gently, and simpered at her. "I didn't thank you, did I?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Why _the fuck_ would you need to _thank _me for calling my pain-in-the-ass mother?"

Elliot laughed. "Sweetheart, I was talking about for everything you've _done_. Everything you've _been _doing. We haven't really known each other that long, ya know? This is still a relatively new relationship, and you've got _my kids_ on air mattresses in your _living room_. You gave up your _privacy_ and your _home_ and your..."

"I didn't give up _anything_. Sure, I can't go in there and do _cartwheels,_ but was I_ really_ doing that before?" she asked, a sparkle in her eyes. "I _know_ this is new, but it was new seven years ago, and I swear _on my life_, Stabler, I would have done the _same_ thing for you _then."_

She kissed him, a small peck on the lips. "One night. One _fucking_ night and you turned my world inside out. Anything," she said, kissing the end of his nose. "I would do _anything_ for you and those babies, Elliot. Stay as long as you need to. As long as you want to." She shrugged, dropping her eyes from his. "As long as you want _me_."

"Well, Liv," Elliot said, pulling her chin back toward him with a single finger, forcing her eyes back to his. "Eventually, the kids are gonna outgrow the air mattress. We need a bigger place. With more than _one_ bedroom."

"Oh," she said, sadly. "I'll help you guys look for a..."

"You guys?" he asked, sounding hurt and offended. "What kind of father would I be if I let the woman my kids think of as their _new mommy_ stay in this _dump _all by herself?"

"Dump? Excuse me? Where do _you_ get off..." she paused, seeing him smirk, his hidden meaning finally sinking into her sleep-deprived brain. "You want me to move, too?"

Elliot nodded. "We've already established that we can't _survive_ without each other. We're doing pretty good living together so far, right? I'm getting the kids permanently. They need their own rooms, Liv. Trevor convinced McCoy to give _me_ the house in the settlement, and I need _you _in the house _with_ me." Her face lit up, then his, then his lips crashed into hers, the kiss causing her to momentarily forget the hell that tomorrow would bring, and when the clothes came ripping off, _tearing_ off their bodies, hell no longer _existed_. When Elliot's fingers snaked their way down her body and into her hot, waiting, wet center, elicitong a soft moan, to be replaced shortly thereafter by his thick, ready rod sheathed completely inside of her, causing them both to gasp, quietly, there was only _Heaven._

* * *

"Honestly," the woman cried, being escorted into the bullpen. "I'm a _grown_ woman, I can _walk_ on my own."

Olivia dropped her head into her hands. She was afraid of this. "Shit," she muttered. She got up out of her seat and walked, annoyed, over to the coffee pot. Pouring two cups, one for her and one for her mother, she plopped one on her desk as she brought the other to the frazzled woman. "Mom," she said, "Drink this."

The woman sipped, then spat it out all over the officer next to her. "Christ _Almighty_, Olivia! Are you trying to _kill _me? This is _toxic_," she boomed, thrusting the mug back into her daughter's hand. "Did _you _make that? _Figures_."

"No," Olivia sighed, aware that everyone was now watching them. "I_ didn't_ make it. And it isn't toxic it's _strong_. You _need_ strong," she leaned in and lowered her voice. "Because you're _drunk_."

"I am _not_ drunk," her mother yelled, hitting her in the arm, sending the coffee into her chest, all over her sweater. "How _dare_ you, Olivia?"

Olivia rolled her eyes, bit her bottom lip and slammed the mug down on the nearest desk. Elliot, having seen the entire thing, ran to get paper-towels and bolted over to her, helping her wipe up the spilled coffee. Olivia's mother, however, wasn't having it.

"Hey!" she spat, smacking Elliot's hands away from Olivia's stomach. Elliot's eyes widened and he shrank away like a scolded puppy. She kept smacking him. "Get your hands _off _of her, you filthy..."

"Mom! It's okay! This is Elliot, my _partner_," Olivia said, glairing at her mother, trying desperately to hide her embarrassment. "Elliot," she sighed. "_This _is my mother. Serena Benson. The _odyssey_."

Elliot held out his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss..."

"Partner? Are you _sleeping_ with her?" Serena narrowed her eyes at Elliot. Then, turned angrily toward her daughter. "Are _you_ sleeping with _him_? You're a little _trollop_! Partner? They let you take him to _work_ with you?"

Elliot's eyes became dinner plates and Olivia smacked herself in the head. "Jesus _Motherfucking_ Christ in a _handbag _in _Hell_, Mom! He's my _partner_ as in _this_ is _Detective_ Elliot Stabler!"

"Olivia! How _dare_ you use the _Lord's name_ in such a foul manner! You don't _deserve_ to wear that _cross _around your neck," Serena spat, as Olivia shoved her into the interrogation room.

Olivia had just about had it. "About the cross, Mom. I got a story for ya!"

* * *

"Your mother is a very _pleasant_ woman, Baby-Girl," Fin said, coming out of the interrogation room, rubbing the side of his face.

Olivia gave him a pitied look. "I'm sorry, Fin. It could be worse. You could be _me_. Then she'd have _really_ hit you." She blew out a breath. "If she was sober, this wouldn't be so difficult. She's not so _horrible_ when she's sober."

"Oh, it _was_ easy. We got her statement, she remembered _everything_. She hit me because I told her to stop treating you like shit," Fin said.

Olivia leaned forward. "You did _what_?"

Fin nodded. "Yeah, but you should have heard the conversation she had, or is still having, with _Stabler_. _He_ had the good sense not to _curse_ at her, though." Fin smirked and shook his head. "Man, I don't think Munch would _ever_ talk to my momma the way Elliot's in there talking to _yours_."

"Excuse me," Olivia said. She walked into the pit, stopped when she saw them in the two-way mirror, calmly talking, her mother in tears, Elliot close to it, and she pushed the button on the audio monitor.

"So, you don't realize _who_ she _is_, or how _amazing_ she is. You have _never_ seen the _light _that's inside of her, because it _goes out_ when she's around _you_. I _saw_ that today. You are her _mother_, Serena, but _she's_ done all the _parenting_. Now, I can't promise you that anything between the two of you will change, I think it might be too late for that, actually. But, I _can_ promise you, that I'm _never_ going to hurt her. _You _did a shitty job of raising her, but she raised _herself_ right, and she's _incredible_, and _I'm_ going to take care of her. The way you didn't. The way you couldn't. The way you never _wanted _to. Forever," Elliot said.

Serene looked up at him, sobbing. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, looking at her, coldly. "At least _one _of us does."

Serena sighed. "Detective Stabler, I _try_ to love her..."

"Try _harder_," he snapped, "It's so fucking _easy_ to _love_ her! I _knew_ I loved her before I even _knew_ her _name_!" He ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath. "Sorry, I shouldn't have yelled. You need to stay in here, we need you to pick the guy out of a line-up." He rose out of his seat. "Someone will be right back to get you." Olivia, tears in her eyes, ran out of the pit before he even made it the door. He walked out into the pit, but stopped when he heard Serena crying. He turned his attention to the monitor, which he knew for a fact was _off _ten minutes ago. He had hit the button himself.

"Benson," Cragen said, walking out of his office at the same Elliot came out of the pit, "You can't be here for this."

Olivia's eyes widened, the tears she'd been fighting threatening to fall in anger and frustration. "What? Are you kidding me?" she spat. "This man could be my..."

"Exactly _why_ you _can't _be here. Go home," Cragen said, stopping her before she could say "father" in front of three people who he thought didn't know, only two of whom _really_ didn't. "I swear, you will know _everything_ as soon as _we _do, but you just _can not_ be in this building right now. Go _home_."

She licked and bit her lip, refusing to yell. She grabbed her jacket, ripped the keys off of Elliot's desk, muttered, "I'll take the kids home," under her breath through gritted teeth, and stormed out of the bullpen, angrier than anyone had ever seen her. She really thought she'd finally get to meet him.

* * *

She was curled up on the sofa, with Dickie's sleeping head in her lap, and a dark-brown-colored drink in a glass in her hand, when Elliot walked in the door. "Hey, beautiful," he said, catching her eyes as the light from the hallway seeped into the dark room. His eyes traveled to the drink in her hand and he ran over, hopping over the kids and ripped it from her grip. Her eyes narrowed and her face scrunched.

"El, what the hell?" she whispered, not wanting to wake the boy on her lap.

Elliot sniffed the glass, his eyes relaxing, then he handed it back to her. "Sorry, I just...you were so _angry_, and with your mom the way she is..."

"Exactly, El. With my mom the way she is, I never drink alone, I never drink when I'm upset or angry, and I never drink anything without an umbrella in it." She shook the glass lightly. "It's soda, Mr. Panic."

Elliot leaned over, picked up his son and placed him gently on his spot on the mattress, covering him up with his quilt. Then, he took off his jacket and snuggled next to Olivia, taking the glass back from her, this time taking a sip. "He wasn't the guy, kitten." He put the glass down.

"Wow," Olivia said on a gasp, "I thought it would finally be _over_. I thought she'd finally have someone _else_ to hate."

"You mean _instead_ of you or _besides_ you, Liv? Because, she _isn't_ going to _stop_ blaming you or resenting you, even when we find him," Elliot said. "You _heard _her. The last twenty-six years, the way she's been treating you, that was her _trying_ to love you. A mother shouldn't have to _try_ to love her kids. Kathy shouldn't have to _try_ to love these four little angels." Elliot looked down at her, into her eyes. "You never _tried _to love them, Liv. You just _did_, right off the bat, and they're not even yours. So, what does that say about _you_, huh?" He nuzzled the crook of her neck, dropping a kiss to her pulse. "You heard _me_, too. I don't have to _try_ to love you. I just _do_. Immensely."

She blinked at him. "How do you know I _heard_ you?"

"Rule number one of eavesdropping on an interrogation: turn _off _the monitor if you were the one that turned it _on_," he said, playfully flicking her in the nose. "Silly girl."

"You didn't have to say all of that to her, Elliot," Olivia said, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"Yes, I did." He kissed her, passionately, wrapping her up in his arms.

Olivia looked into his eyes. "Thank you," she said. "No one has ever stood up for me like that before, El. I've never had anyone...care...the way you do." Elliot leaned back and stretched out, pulling her down with him.

"Well, Angel-face, get used to it. You're never going to have to remember what it's like to _not_ have someone care about you the way I do. Like I told your mother, Liv. This is for_ forever_," Elliot whispered into her hair, falling asleep with her in his arms. The emotional exhaustion of the day took them into an almost-slumber, on the couch, brutally interrupted by the bleeping of Olivia's phone.

She groaned, rubbed her face into his chest in protest, and he chuckled, reaching onto the table and handing her the phone. He flicked it open and held it to her ear. "Benson," she mumbled. Her head shot up. "Oh, my God," she said, panicking. "Where? No, uh, I'll call him. Thanks, Cap." She ripped the phone out of his hand and dialed another number. "Alex? I'm sorry to wake you. I need you to get over here, now, and when you do, please _do not_ ask questions. Thank you." She looked at Elliot, white and shaking.

"What?" he yelped, sitting up abruptly.

"My mother went to a bar after she left the precinct, surprising, huh? Guess _who_ she ran into?" Olivia said, pulling on her boots.

Elliot grabbed his tie and starting fixing it, shaking his head. "No idea, kitten."

Her glazed and glassy eyes looked into his, and she blinked twice. "El, are _you_ ready to meet my father? Because, I don't think I am."

**A/N: The truth comes out for Elliot, too, when his loony mom comes into the picture, if you wanna keep reading...you know what to do. =) =)**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: We meet Olivia's dad, and Elliot's mom, and maybe there's a bit of lovin' in here somewhere...**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf. This story, its dialogue and its narrative belong to TStabler**©

They pulled up to Frankie's, a corner bar in the East Village, and Olivia started to shake. This was _so_ not what she needed right now. Her best friend had just given her the third degree about why she had her partner's four children sleeping on her living room floor, why Elliot was even _at_ her place and why _she_ needed to watch them and _now_ she was about to meet the man who raped her mother, leading to her _birth_. Her father. Elliot, worried more about Olivia than where they were and their case, leaned over the console when they parked. He kissed her, twice, once on the forehead and once on the lips and said, "I'm right here."

Olivia nodded and got out of the car. "Where is she?" she asked Cragen, walking toward the ambulance. "Benson," Cragen yelled. "Your mother is in the squad car."

She furrowed her brow. "Then who's..."

"Serena hit him over the heat with a broken bottle. Repeatedly," Cragen said, a slight smirk playing at his lips. "He never saw it coming. The attack was unprovoked, Olivia. He wasn't..."

"That's _him_, then," she said, almost reverently. She took a step toward the ambulance and her hands started to shake. Elliot was watching her every move. He saw her clutch her cross. He smiled, slightly, knowing that it didn't mean she was relying on God for strength, she was relying on _him_ for it. She took another step, then two quick ones, then she turned around, searching for Elliot's eyes. They begged him to go with her. He looked toward Cragen, who nodded, and ran to her, clutching her hand. She exhaled in relief once he was by her side, and they walked the rest of the way to the medical bus together.

"Excuse me," Elliot said, "I'm Detective Stabler and this is..."

"Oh, my God," the man said. "I _know_ who that is." He smirked, wincing as the EMT next to him stitched up his gashed eye. "I knew something wonderful would come from that night," he said. "You're beautiful, Olivia. And successful."

"How the hell do you know my name? Successful? What, you're stalking me?" Olivia asked, her eyes turning into mere slits and her hand grappling onto Elliot's.

The man chuckled, ignoring the pain of the sewing near his eye. "I've been keeping tabs on you. Serena wasn't too quiet about getting pregnant by her rapist, the case is a matter of public record, I searched for her and I found out what she named you. As you got older, I kept track of you. Siena College, top of your class. The Police Academy instead of Law School, again, top of your class. Now, a pretty, young detective." He looked at her face, saw the fear and confusion in her eyes, flinched, then looked at her partner. "And you must be _Elliot_ Stabler, then, right?"

"What, you Googled me, too?" Elliot scoffed.

The man laughed. "No, _you_ came up when I followed Olivia's college career. She dedicated her senior thesis to you. It's amazing that you've kept in touch all these years, and now you're her partner."

Olivia's eyes widened and she dropped her head into her hands. "Thanks, so much, you jackass," she muttered to the bloodied man in front of her.

"Yeah," Elliot said, amazed. "Amazing." He looked at Olivia, smiled, and then turned back to the man. "Are you going to tell us your name, or just that you're a very creepy man who's great with a computer?"

"Daniel Marsden," he said. "Pleased to meet you."

* * *

The apartment was quiet. The kids were still asleep and Alex had fallen asleep on the couch. Olivia walked, quickly, into the living room, tossing her coat on the chair, then dropped bits of clothing as she made her way into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Elliot knocked on the door. "Liv," he said through the wood. "Come on, kitten." He heard silence and the sound of running water. He turned the knob, and the door clicked open. He pushed his way inside, stripped down and slid the curtain open, climbing inside to meet her. She turned around and caught his eye, then let her head drop back to the tiles. Without a word, Elliot grabbed the shampoo from the rack and squirted a dollop into his open palm, grabbed Olivia's head gently, and massaged away her frustrations. "Better?" he asked, dipping her head back gently, rinsing her hair.

"No," she grumbled, pouting. He chuckled. "You are so fucking adorable, baby. You handled tonight well," he said, proudly. "You remained calm, you only cursed at him _four_ times, you didn't _hit_ him and when you yelled at your mother you called her 'Serena' and 'Ms. Benson'. Very _polite_ alternatives to what you were _thinking_ about calling her." He ran a soapy sponge over her body, delicately, caressing and scrubbing at the same time. "You really dedicated your thesis to me?"

She nodded, slowly, running her hands up his shoulders. "Right on the first page. To Elliot Stabler, the Marine that changed my life. My topic was the incredibly high rate of ignored and concealed sex-crimes in the military, with a focus on neglected reports of rape among female soldiers by their superior officers."

"I told you _one_ story, Liv," he said, stunned. "That deserved _dedication_?"

"It was enough to make me angry, El. She was your _friend_. The problem deserved _attention_," she said taking the sponge from his hands and scrubbing him, the way he had done to her. She looked up into his eyes. "The details and evidence presented in my paper got that girl _justice,_ Elliot. And you weren't _listening_. I didn't thank you for giving me the idea, I thanked you for changing my life. Something you haven't _stopped_ doing."

Elliot smirked. "You've changed mine just as much," he said, pushing them back under the spray of the water. "If not, more." He kissed her, once, a tiny peck on the lips. But, the gleam in her eye, the love and the desire in that gleam, demanded another kiss, a deeper one. He pulled her closer to him, and his body began to react, she felt him grow and harden almost instantly. She heard him mumble against her neck, "Kitten?"

"What,_ puppy_?" she asked, a snarky tone in her voice. He looked down at her with a smirk. "The kids are asleep."

"Really? I thought they were just being very still and very quiet," she replied, running a hand up his back. "What's your point?"

Elliot reached over and turned off the water, ripped open the shower curtain and lifted Olivia into his arms. "Someone's out there with them, tonight." He tossed her on the bed, then closed the door, hearing the latch click for the first time in a week and a half. "We can be a little louder," he said as he pounced on her. It was amazing how just being able to really _hear_ each other, even only slightly, brought them so much closer together.

She woke up on top of him, with him still inside of her, as the alarm blared. He moved and she moaned, his eyes popped open as he felt exactly _where_ he was. "Good morning," he said, chuckling. "I guess we, uh, exhausted ourselves?"

"Oh, yeah," she said with a smile, tilting her head up to kiss him. "We have to drop the kids off at Kathy's this morning on the way to work, so come on, get up."

"I'm up, baby," he said bucking his hips. "Christ, El," she said, her eyes closing. "Not what I meant." He held her down to him as he pulled himself out halfway, and hiked his body up into her again. "Don't have time, El," she said, whisper-moaning. He flipped them over and slapped the snooze button on the alarm. "Of course we do, Liv. You know I work well under pressure, and as a Marine, I do handle time constraints quite efficiently," he explained, increasing his thrusts. "Especially, when I know exactly...what...I'm...doing," he cried, instantly holding a hand over her mouth as he found the perfect spot inside of her that caused her to clench quickly. He thrust rapidly four more times until he felt her shiver and quake beneath him, tightening around him and he came, quietly, inside of her. "God, I love you." She told him she loved him, too, but it was muffled by his hand.

* * *

Olivia was staring at the white-board, a dry-erase marker in her hand, trying to connect the four victims to the _one_ perp they had in their current case. She circled the locations on the map, connected them with lines, then decided that not even Superman could get that far, that fast. She erased everything and hurled the marker toward Elliot. "You try this," she said.

"Okay, maybe if we..." he circled all of the locations and went to connect them, but Munch stopped him. "Benson just _did_ that, Stabler. Were you paying attention?"

"Uh, yeah." He was. To her ass, the way she chewed on the marker when she was thinking, the way her left eye was twitching, but _not_ to what she was actually _doing_. "I just wanted to double-check."

Olivia's attention was drawn to an older woman, entering the bullpen carrying a large wicker bag. "Hello, there. May I help you?" she asked.

The other three detectives turned to see who Olivia was talking to, and Elliot gasped, dropping the marker. "Oh, shit."

"Are you Olivia?" the woman asked.

"Um, yes." Olivia took a step forward. "Do I know you?"

The woman shook her head. "No, I just wanted to make sure I was looking at the woman who _destroyed_ my son's life. Such a pity. You're too pretty to be a hussy."

"Uh-oh, are you _Trevor's_ mother?" she asked, her eyes widening.

Elliot stepped up and rested a hand on her shoulder. "No, Liv. She's _mine_. Olivia Benson, meet Bernadette Stabler." He couldn't look at Olivia right now, he didn't want to see the look on her face, so he looked at his mother. "What are you doing here, Mom?"

"Saving you from making a huge mistake Elliot. Can we please talk somewhere? _Alone_?" Bernadette asked, sending a harsh glare toward Olivia.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yeah, Mom. Just like you wanted to do before I married _Kathy_, right. Okay," he said, leading his mother into an interrogation room. Bernadette stopped. She turned around and smiled at the people in the squadroom. "I'm sorry, which one of you is Olivia, again?"

"That would be me, Mrs. Stabler," Olivia said. "The only girl in the room."

"Oh," Bernadette said with a smile. "I brought this for you, sweetheart. You can look through it while I talk to my son, and anything that there's two or more of you can take. You missed out on quite a lot, and I thought you should see some of his baby pictures, too. He was such a cutie." She handed Olivia a thick leather bound photo album and turned back to Elliot, following him into the pit.

Olivia turned to Fin and Munch. "So, am I a hussy who ruined his life or is she trying to adopt me?"

Munch chuckled, then sighed. "Neither, Olivia. He'll tell you when he's ready. You're new, maybe he's not that comfortable with you yet. It took him years to tell me about his parents." Olivia smirked. There was _so much_ these people didn't know.

Forty minutes later, Bernadette and Elliot emerged, and Mrs. Stabler ran over to Olivia's desk and tore the photo album out of her hands. "I think you've had that long enough!"

"Oh, okay," Olivia said, her hands still turning the page that was no longer in between her fingers.

"I don't know what you did to him, but if you don't undo it, there will be hell to pay!" Bernadette spat, storming out of the bullpen.

Olivia's eyes were wide and her mouth was contorted. "I'll try to undo getting a job in the same precinct and being a damn good partner," she said, earning nervous laughs from Munch and Fin. Elliot, not laughing, was looking at her, embarrassed, shocked, upset and with a twinge of guilt. He walked over to her, pulled her up by the hand, out of her seat, and walked her over to the corner, where they couldn't be heard.

"Liv, my mother is sick. She has some kind of mental disorder. It affects her moods, her memory, her judgment, _everything_. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but it never came up, and I was kind of hoping you wouldn't have to meet her until I had prepared you for, well, _that._ My kids don't even see her, except on Christmas. I didn't think..."

"El, I'm so sorry to hear that, baby, but you need to stop," Olivia said. "You don't have to make excuses for her, or yourself. And you don't have to apologize. I know why you didn't tell me. It's the same reason I didn't tell you about _my_ mother right away. It's _hard_. Besides, I can't be mad at someone who looked so damn cute as a _carrot_," she said with a wink.

Elliot smiled and shook his head, wondering_ where_ this woman came from. He had met both of her parents yesterday, and it was clear that she inherited absolutely nothing from them. She was just verbally, and almost physically, assaulted by his crazy mother, and she didn't hold it against him. He just hoped she would be as calm and understanding when he told her all about his father.

**A/N: Want more? Review please? **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Olivia wakes up in Elliot's arms, he tells her everything. How does she react?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns story, narrative and dialogue contained in this story.**

_It had been two years since her Marine had left. Disappeared. She could still feel him inside of her every night before she went to sleep, she fingered the cross around her neck in constant prayer to someone, not God, but someone, that he would be safe, that he would live, that he would come back to her one day. She went back to her dorm, three in the morning, after a rough night of research and writing, and crawled into her bed, beside a sleeping Trevor, and closed her eyes. She saw his face, his eyes. She felt his lips on her skin, on her body, kissing and licking every inch. She felt his fingers sliding, gripping, loving every dip, swell and curve. She cried herself to sleep because he wasn't really there. All they had was one night. Una noche. She was broken, aching, and would be until she saw him again. She felt Trevor roll over and wrap an arm around her and she cringed, and cried harder but soundlessly, and clutched the cross tightly in her hands, until the corners of the gold dug so deeply into her palm, her skin pierced and bled, and the pain in her heart was masked, only briefly, by the shooting pain in her hand._

She awoke with a start, breathing deeply and frantically, and felt a warm body underneath hers, and for a moment she was afraid it was Trevor's. He was wide awake, watching her, startled at her quick and restless awakening. "Liv," he said in a whispered worry. "Baby, what is it?"

"Elliot." His name rolled off of her tongue like an invocation, a prayer. She was relieved and blessed to be with him, her dream had felt so real.

He lifted his head up completely, scooted back to a sitting position, and held her close to him. "Yeah, honey, I'm here. What's the matter?"

"I just, um, had this dream. I guess I was remembering what it was like without you. It hurt, so fucking much." She dropped her head to his chest, kissing the spot where his heart was pounding beneath it. She turned her hand over, looking at the faded white scars, two small dots that remained etched into her palm, linking her life-line to her heart-line, an ironic connection.

"Liv," he said, pulling her onto his lap, wrapping her legs around him. "I'm here, and I'm never leaving you again." He felt her rub against him, unintentionally arousing him, and his eyes darkened and dilated as they went to her neck. He watched her pulse beat quickly near her collar bone, and he traced an imaginary line down to her chest. He saw the gold cross glittering in the moonlight that seeped through the window, and he melted. "You don't have to wear this anymore, baby," he took the charm in his fingers and turned it around. "If you don't feel…"

"El, that cross is never coming off," she said, leaning forward, sliding up, pushing him into her. "Do you understand me? I don't care that I'm not a devout Catholic, that has nothing to do with why I wear it. You know that," she rocked into him, and he gasped, squinting.

"God, baby," he said. "I know that, but you only wore it so that I would know…to remember…you don't need to…I'm here now," he said, panting, between her quick, riding thrusts. She shook her head as she pushed him deeper into her, biting her lip. "I wear it because you gave it to me, you asked me to wear it, to remember that night, to remember my Marine," she whispered, moaning quietly, sealing her promise to love him forever with a deep, soulful, kiss.

They made love until the alarm went off, and Olivia had forgotten all about her nightmare-slash-memory. They showered, together, which had become a habit, and dressed for work. Olivia panicked briefly when she walked into the living room to wake up the kids and found they weren't there, but then she remembered, with a relieved laugh, that they were with their mother. That thought hurt. They weren't_ her_ kids. "Jesus, Liv," Elliot said as they left her apartment. "You really love my kids, huh?"

"I do. And their father ain't half bad either," she said with a wink and a kiss.

* * *

They were about to step into the bullpen when Elliot grabbed her. "Honey, before we go in there, uh, there's something I need to tell you."

"Uh-oh, what?" she asked. "You don't have any other wives or kids running around do you?"

Elliot laughed. "No, Liv. I just wanted to tell you about my father…" he paused, taking a look at her that took his breath away. He couldn't have this conversation in the hallway at work; what was he thinking? "It can wait," he said softly, pushing passed her and into the squadroom. Olivia followed him, about to say something, but she was cut off.

"Hey," Fin shouted. "Munch didn't make the coffee!"

"Good," Olivia said, "I might be able to swallow it today." She walked over to the corner where all of the coffee paraphernalia was, and she poured two cups of what she hoped would be drinkable java. She placed one on Elliot's desk and sat down in hers, still trying to shake off the afterglow of the morning's antics. She was sure anyone looking would be able to tell.

"Hey, Benson," Munch said in a curious manner. "You look happy today, what's up?"

She chuckled. Of course it would be Munch. "I got up early and got in a couple hours of _cardio_," she said snidely, looking at Elliot. "Endorphines. They make you happy. Don't they, El?"

"Oh, yeah. Downright blissful," he quipped with a chuckle of his own. He sipped the coffee and smirked. "Okay, who made this and can I bring them home with me?"

Cragen walked in from his office and handed them each a black file. "Me. No. Please, for the love of all that is good and holy, no." He flipped open his own file. "Update your personal histories, emergency contacts and any changes to your address, phone number and e-mail. Munch, I'm really getting tired of you writing John-Munch-at-the-government-is-watching-me-through-my-computer-dot-com. Put your damn SVU address," he shouted, smacking Munch in the shoulder with the folder. "Olivia, this is the first time you're doing this. We have your file from your transfer. I doubt anything's changed in…"

"It has," she said. "Emergency contact, next of kin and medical proxy. I'm changing them." She opened her file and started writing. Elliot had a problem. "Um, Cap?"

Cragen looked at him. "Leave it blank, Stabler. When you find a place, you can fill it in." Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Uh, how did you…"

"Alex Cabot. She told me Benson was letting you stay with her. I hope her couch is comfortable, it takes months to find a place in this city." Cragen stood, shaking his head. Elliot was thankful Alex hadn't told him the truth, but the lack of address wasn't the problem. The problem was, once he had a new one, it would still be the same as Olivia's. Cragen walked away, but stopped, turned and said, "You _are_ sleeping on her couch, right?"

"Uh, where else would I sleep?" he asked, sheepishly.

Cragen nodded his head once. "Just checking." Elliot shook his head and chuckled. He turned his attention to the yearly update in his hands. He changed his marital status to "single," he could finally leave the space for his spouse's information blank, even though part of him desperately wanted to write in all of Olivia's data. He changed his emergency contact to Olivia Benson, listing her cell phone number and her address. He changed his medical proxy to her, too. He trusted her, implicitly, and replaced her name for Kathy's wherever he found it on the form. He looked over at her and smiled, knowing she had done exactly the same thing, putting his name wherever her mother's and Trevor's had been.

It took about ten minutes after they handed Cragen the files for him to send them out into the freezing cold to sit on a suspect. Munch and Fin were watching from a black SUV in the back of his building, and Olivia and Elliot were sitting in a blue sedan around the front. They'd been in the car for an hour and the man hadn't moved. He didn't even go past the window for any reason. Olivia was starting to wonder if the man was even still alive. "Stakeouts suck," she said, grimacing as the cold coffee hit her lips.

"Well," Elliot said. "It's giving us some alone time. We're talking, cuddling."

"Me leaning on you to stare out of the window because we have to keep an eye out for this scumbag and his building is on your side of the car hardly counts as cuddling, El." Olivia leaned on her elbow, which was digging into the spot between Elliot's shoulder blades.

He moaned. "A little to the left, Liv," he chuckled. The pressure felt amazing. They'd been cramped in the car for a while and it was almost as good as one of her massages. _Almost_.

"Shut up," Olivia muttered, drinking the icy cold, gross coffee. "If I touch you at all, in a way that's gonna make you make that noise again, we're gonna do something that's gonna get us both fired." She put the cup down and leaned over, almost lying on his back. "So, you wanted to talk about your father?"

"Yeah," he sighed. "I met your parents, however awful they may be, and you met my crazy mother. I just wanted to explain why you'll never meet my dad."

"Elliot, you don't have to…"she was abruptly cut off by Elliot.

"Yes, I do, Liv. I know everything about you, you should know this." He never took his eyes off of the suspect's apartment as he spoke to her. "Baby, my dad's, um, he died." Elliot sighed. "He was a cop. I looked up to him. I wanted to be just like him."

"And you are," she said, trying to comfort him. He turned, sharply.

"God, please don't say that. I am _nothing_ like him," Elliot said through gritted teeth. "At least, I hope I'm not. I _do_ have his temper, but I try to control it. He wasn't a very nice guy, Liv. He was worse than your mother. He was sober when he hit me and my brother, so I don't have the luxury of blaming alcohol. He beat the shit out of my mother, too, and whenever Frankie and I tried to stop him we got pummeled. The only time he ever said he was proud of me, Liv, was when I went off to join the Marines and he gave me _that_ cross. It meant so much to me. The only proof the man gave a shit. That's why I gave it to you."

"Oh, God, El!" Olivia clutched her necklace with one hand and Elliot's shoulder with the other.

"I was stationed in North Carolina when I got the phone call. He had been suspended for almost beating a perp to death; he flew into a violent rage because of something the guy said. They took his badge and his gun, but they didn't take his off-duty weapon. He went home and told my mom, who, because she's a nutcase, threw a frying pan at him and grabbed me and my brother and took us to my aunt's. My dad locked himself in the bedroom with the gun and pulled the trigger," Elliot explained. "My mother found him when she went back to apologize. It triggered something, I mean, she was already sick, but finding him like that made her worse. I lost _both_ of my parents that night."

"Baby," Olivia said, wanting so badly to hold him, make the pain stop. "I am so sorry. Thank you, El, for telling me. I know how hard it was, but why did you…"

"I need you to promise me you'll always be there to stop me before I go that far, Liv. I've got a bad temper, you've seen it. I swear, I will never raise a hand to you or my kids, but I don't wanna be like him. I don't want to end up doing what he did, losing _everything_ over some piece of shit like the guy in this apartment."

Olivia grappled with her emotions. She held her breath, trying not to cry for him. "El, baby, I promise. But, I know you. You would never do that," she assured him.

"God, why do I believe you?" he asked, grabbing her hand.

Olivia smirked. "Because you know I'd never lie to you." She looked up, over his head and blinked. "El, get ready to drive. He's on the move."

They got back into their own seats, fastened their seatbelts, and radioed Munch and Fin. The chase was on. But, what Olivia failed to realize, so was the walkie-talkie in Elliot's hand. Munch and Fin had just heard _everything._

**A/N: Another **_**noche**_** in the lives of our detectives. Do I continue? Reviews!**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: The chase is on, but who's chasing who? What does Munch say about the conversation he heard? Just another typical **_**noche**_**, right? Not this time.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns story, narrative and dialogue contained in this story.**

They had cornered the suspect on Lexington Avenue. Elliot and Olivia had guns aimed on him from the left and front, Fin and Munch had him blocked from the right and back. The man looked around, fumbling on his feet, trying to make a move. Finally he ran straight ahead, leaping over the car in front of him. "Shit," Olivia yelled as she took of after him, hopping over the car herself and staying hot on the perps heels. "Liv!" Elliot yelled. "Fin, Munch, follow in the car," he barked as he, too, ran after Olivia and the lunatic.

Elliot kept Olivia in his sights, and he saw the perp turn and punch her. She went down as the man kept running. Elliot stopped and looked down. "Go!" Olivia yelled from the ground, clutching her stomach. "Elliot, _go_, I'm fine!" Elliot, shocked, nodded and ran like the wind after the man, catching up to him quickly now that he was fueled with anger. He moved quickly out of the way when the bastard threw a store's sidewalk sign at him. He leaped when the perp knocked a garbage can down; he just kept running. He almost had the prick when someone whizzed by and tackled the man to the ground. It was Olivia.

"Get off me, bitch," the man spat.

Olivia chuckled. "Sticks and stones," she said. She cuffed the man, squeezing the silver bracelets a little too tight. "You have the right to remain si..."

"Shut the fuck up, slut!" The man kicked and wiggled.

"Wow," Olivia said. "Clearly you're giving up _that_ right, huh?" She yanked the perp up by the silver links and threw him into Elliot's arms. "You have the right to an attor..."

The man spat at her; she dodged the gob of saliva and grimaced. "Suck it, lady! I_ know_ my rights," he said. Elliot pulled on his handcuffs, causing the man to cry in pain. "I'd be more polite if I were you," Elliot told him. They walked toward the black SUV and gave the cuffed son of a bitch to Fin, who raised an eyebrow at Elliot and Olivia. "You two okay?" he asked, putting the perp into the backseat and slamming the door.

Elliot nodded. "I am, but the fucker punched..."

"I'm fine," Olivia said, waving a hand in the air. "He hits like a girl." Fin jerked his head back and his eyes widened. "Why does everyone seem so surprised when I say that?" Olivia asked with a smirk and a shake of her head. Fin chuckled, then got in the car. "We'll see you two back at the station," he said, driving away.

"You sure you're okay?" Eliot asked, caressing Olivia now that they were alone. She nodded. "Yeah," she said as he pulled her into a hug. He kissed her forehead and wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to their sedan. They got in, and Elliot turned the key. They pulled away from the corner and turned down the street, unaware of the red car following them.

* * *

Clearly, this man had a problem with women. He had a bigger problem with women in positions of power and that meant he had a problem with Olivia. He refused to say anything, unless it was to insult her, so she left the interrogation room and left the job up to Fin and Elliot. She had just gotten settled in her desk when Munch sprung it on her. "So, if I can be so bold as to ask, why do you and Elliot call each other 'baby'?"

"I'm...sorry...what?" she rolled her head up as slowly as she spoke.

Munch smirked and lowered his head so he could peer over his sunglasses at her. "The walkie-talkie was on in that car. Fin and I heard your whole conversation. Now, I'm not gonna run to the Cap about this, you two are my good friends, but you should know that you're in dangerous waters here. Not just because you're partners, but like Elliot told you, he's got a temper. If you're threatened at all, as his partner he'll be pissed, but as his girlfriend, he'll kill someone. Have you two thought this through?"

Before Olivia could respond, Trevor Langan walked in, serious-faced, and plopped his briefcase on Elliot's desk. "Sorry to interrupt, but where's Detective Stabler?"

"I'm right here," Elliot said stepping out of the interrogation room. "Why?"

"I just came by to tell you that the custody hearing has been moved up. You need to be in court tomorrow. Kathy's lawyer has requested that Detective Benson and your children stay away, though. Sensitive subject matter and all, and they might sway the judge's decision if they speak. Like I said, Kathy isn't fighting you on this, so it's really just a request to keep it personal and relatively quiet."

"Fine," Elliot said. "Olivia can watch the kids. Thanks, Trevor. For everything. I know this was hard for you, ya know? Helping me when I was the one who broke..."

Trevor sighed and held up a hand. "Don't. It wasn't that hard. It was easier helping you than it was hurting you," he said, honestly. "I'll see you tomorrow." He turned toward Olivia and nodded. "Goodbye, Benson."

"Later, Langan. You still owe me fifty bucks," she said with a smirk.

Trevor smiled at her and shook his head as he left the bullpen. Olivia looked up at Elliot. "So, what did the bastard say?"

Elliot sighed. "He confessed to three out of five. Swears that Gregory and Fortuna weren't him. Meaning he's either lying or he's got an accomplice or a copycat out there somewhere, because the M.O.s are identical. Fin is getting his statement."

"Okay, good. Now can we talk about why Olivia is so involved with you and the kids?" Munch asked. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Excuse me?" Elliot asked. "She's my partner. I'm asking her to do me a fav..."

"They know, El. I guess you were leaning on the radio, but Fin and Munch. They heard everything." Olivia said, interrupting. "And Munch doesn't seem thrilled."

Munch shrugged and sighed. "I'm just saying that I know you Elliot. I know you better that you think. You rush into things, you don't take time to think things through, and you're gonna take Benson down with you this time. I want you two to be careful."

Munch went back to his paperwork as Elliot and Olivia shared a look, they're eyes conveying emotion beyond words telling each other Munch was wrong. Dead wrong.

* * *

They hadn't been home long, and again, they hadn't noticed the red car following them there. They'd only been at Olivia's long enough to change and get settled on the couch, cuddled up to watch a movie, when there was a knock on the door. "Who the hell could it be at this hour?" Elliot said, rising from his spot to answer the door. Olivia stood and followed him. "Mom?"

"I can not believe I didn't _see it_ before! Where is she?" Bernie yelled, pushing her way into the apartment.

"How did you even know where I was? Or where Olivia even lived?" Elliot asked, irritated and concerned.

Bernie laughed. "We followed you. Kathy drove. She's in the car. We're taking you home. You can stop this ridiculousness now, Elliot. You had your little fling. And _you_!" she yelled, turning toward Olivia. "I will take my husband's cross back, if you would be so kind."

Olivia clutched the necklace around her neck. No way was she giving it to _anyone_, even if it was Elliot's mother. "Mom!" Elliot growled. "Dad gave that cross to _me_, and therefore if _I want_ someone else to wear it, it's _my_ choice. I _gave_ it to Olivia. It's _hers_ now. What do you mean, I've had my little fling? Is that what you and Kathy think this is?"

"Oh, please, Elliot. You're going to throw away a seven-year marriage for..._that_?" Bernie said, pointing to Olivia, who looked genuinely insulted. "You barely know that girl! Think about your kids! Do you know that they called their mother 'Kathy' today and wanted to know when 'Mommy and Daddy' were coming to get them? They think this _hussy_ is their new mother! Now, you go get in the car so we can fix this!" She turned back to Olivia, and gritted her teeth. "And get that cross off of your neck!" Bernie grabbed the chain and yanked, flinging the necklace across the room.

"Mother, you are _way_ out of line! The kids are absolutely _right_! Liv _is_ their new mother. Or, at least, she's going to be. Soon. This is not a fling. I don't know what Kathy told you, but I love Olivia, Mom." Elliot grabbed his mothers hands, looked into her eyes, and prayed that this little manic episode would fade when he spoke. He softened his voice and tried to get through to Bernie. "Mom, I met Olivia seven years ago, when I was in the Marines. Remember? The girl I kept telling you about? The one _you_ said _you_ wished I was married to instead of Kathy because she made me so happy? Mom, _that_ girl was _Olivia_. That's _why_ she has my cross. All those letters you mailed for me, they were to _Olivia_. You remember now?"

Bernie blinked. "Olivia?" The name rang a bell. "Siena College? The girl whose name you got tat..."

"Okay, Mom!" Elliot said, smirking. He hadn't showed Olivia that little hidden gem yet. She'd already seen it, a thousand times, but it was so well hidden, she hadn't noticed. It had to be well hidden, since he got it seven years ago. "You remember. Good. Now please apologize for scaring her, and tell Kathy that I will see her at the hearing tomorrow. Okay?"

"Okay," Bernie said. She turned around to face Olivia. Her hand was wrapped around her neck. She felt naked and lost without Elliot's cross. "I'm sorry, dear. I didn't remember who you were. Kathy told me Elliot met someone at work, and he gave her his father's cross, it upset me. She was never very nice. Can you forgive me?"

Olivia nodded and tried to smile. "Of course, Mrs. Stabler."

"Please, Olivia. Call me Bernie. Anyone that my son deems worthy enough to be engraved into the Lord's crown of thorns earns the right to call me 'Mom' actually, but we can start with Bernie, as I've just yelled at you." Bernie's eyes were sad as she reached out and stroked Olivia's shoulder, gently. "Goodbye, Elliot. Oh! What do I tell Kathy? The kids?"

"Tell Kathy to be at the hearing on time, and tell the kids that Olivia will pick them up in the morning to take them to Church." Elliot smiled at his mother as she left, then he ran to Olivia and pulled her into his arms. "I'm sorry. I...what are you doing?"

Olivia pulled up his sleeve and looked, very closely, at his tattoo. There it was. Her name. In small, yet beautiful calligraphy, written three times. Her name was the base of Jesus' crown of thorns on his tattoo. He smiled at her when she peered up at him. "I guess I didn't want to forget you, either."

Olivia's eyes widened and she ran to the side of the room, searching frantically for the gold cross. She found it, in the fireplace, which, thankfully, wasn't on, and she held it in her hands as she dropped to the floor and examined it. The chain was broken, still clasped together on one side, right down the middle. Elliot walked over to her and sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'll buy you a new chain for it."

Olivia shook her head. "You don't understand. I haven't taken it off. Not once. Not for a single moment in seven years. I can't..." she choked on her words as she sobbed. "Oh!" She hopped up and ran into the bedroom, coming back a few moments later with a gold necklace. She handed it, and the cross, to Elliot. "My mother gave me that for my fourteenth birthday. I never wear it, because I hate the woman, but if we can get the charm off of it and put the cross on the chain..."

Elliot interrupted her. "Liv, the loop on the charm is too small. It won't slide off the..."

"Break the fucking thing, Elliot! That cross is going back on my neck, tonight!" She yelled, determined.

"Okay," Elliot said, wide-eyed. He'd never heard Olivia yell like that, unless they were at work. He snapped the O-shaped pendant in half, a sign of how cheap it was, then snapped it again at the base and it fell off of the chain. He slipped the cross onto the gold-linked necklace and swung it around Olivia's neck, clasping it in the back for her. "There you go, baby. All better?"

"Yes, thank you." She turned and threw her arms around him. "So, why the crown of thorns?"

Elliot laughed, sliding down to the floor and pulling Olivia into his lap. "I already had the tattoo, Liv. I couldn't really get 'Olivia' emblazoned somewhere else, somewhere noticeable, because Kathy would have seen it, so I had the crown filled in with your name. It's kind of symbolic, too. Or, it _used_ to be, ya know? _You_ were _my_ crown of thorns. I cheated on my wife, then had a seven-year long _emotional-_affair, you made me a sinner. Now, though, I guess it's just really pretty," he explained with a laugh.

"Hey," Olivia said. "I still contribute to your sinful ways."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "How? I'm not married anymore."

"Exactly," she said as she straddled him and pulled his shirt up over his head. "But, we have plenty of mind-blowing pre-marital sex, which is, technically, a sin." Elliot laughed as he pulled her shirt up, too. "You will be my wife someday, Liv," Elliot affirmed, kissing her neck. "Then it'll be just like it was supposed to be, from the beginning."

While the happy couple made sweet love in front of the now-lit fireplace, a tragedy struck outside of a nightclub in Midtown. Fin and Munch were called to the scene, but decided that they would wait until they got the victim to Mercy General, until she was in stable condition, before calling Olivia and Elliot.

**A/N: What happened? Who did what? Review? Perhaps? Shall I continue?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Another** _**noche **_**that puts our detectives to the test. Your reviews keep me writing, thank you for the encouraging and uplifting words! Keep 'em coming, if you feel so inclined =)**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

Olivia ran in to Mercy General, more angry than worried, and held up her badge at the front desk. "Benson," she spat.

"I know who you are, Detective Benson, you're in here enough," the nurse said with a chuckle.

"No, I'm looking for a patient named Benson. _Serena_ Benson. Where is she?" Olivia asked, sternly.

The nurse raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I didn't even make the connection! Down the hall. Room 101." Olivia and Elliot ran down the hall and burst into the room; Serena was lying, unconscious, with two black eyes, and several other injuries. Olivia ran a hand through her hair, sighed and shook her head.

Olivia shook her head. "How does a fifty-two year old woman get into a fight at a nightclub? How does a fifty-two year old woman get into a nightclub, period? She picks a fight with a man twenty years younger than her, good job, Mom."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay, Liv?"

"That's what _my_ face looked like the day my eighth-grade school-picture was taken. My mother told everyone I had gotten a nose job, and you should have heard the kids tease me when my face healed and my nose looked exactly the same," Olivia said as she leaned against the doorframe, staring at her broken mother. "I don't know _what_ this is. What, after beating the shit out of Marsden she thinks she can take down anyone who looks at her funny? Get a couple drinks in her and she thinks she's Superwoman?"

"You're deflecting," Elliot warned.

"Thanks, Doctor Huang," Olivia said, sarcastically.

Elliot walked over to her and brushed hair out of her eyes. "Liv, you need to deal with this, honey. Fin and Munch have the guy in custody, this isn't _our_ case, you_ can_ cry."

Olivia looked up at him. "Please! Why? _She_ never cried. Not once. Not one time, after _she_ saw what she did to _me_, did she shed a single tear. Ya know, once, she laughed! Elliot, she fucking _laughed_. I woke up the morning after she beat the hell out of me and went downstairs for breakfast. She looked at me, tilted her head and said I looked like a Dalmatian, because I was covered in these little black and blue spots. She started cackling like the Wicked Witch of the West."

"Liv," Elliot ran his hand down her arm. She shook her head. "I'm not crying over this, Elliot," she said quietly, then walked out of the room, hoping Serena would never even know she'd been there.

* * *

"Thanks for the courtesy call, Munch," Olivia said, sarcastically, as she and Elliot walked into the bullpen. "Didn't want me at the scene? Were you afraid I'd kill the guy?"

"You wouldn't have?" Fin asked.

Olivia shook her head. "I wanna shake his hand," she said bitterly. "So, what do we have on Gregory and Fortuna? Did the son of a bitch give up a partner? An accomplice?"

"Nope," Munch said. "Swears he worked alone and still claims he had nothing to do with those two girls."

Olivia looked at the photos on the white-board, and hummed. "Maybe, he didn't. Their eyes," she said. She rearranged the photos, placing Gregory and Fortuna in the middle of the other three. "Look at them."

"Shit," Elliot said. Gregory and Fortuna both had _two_ black eyes, while the other three victims only had _one_. "These two girls were raped in the alleys behind _nightclubs,_ right?"

Munch nodded. "Yeah, why?"

Olivia turned to Munch and Fin and pointed. "What did you two do with the guy who attacked my mother?"

One by one, the eyes in the squadroom began to widen. Cragen shook his head in awe as Fin and Munch ran out and down to the holding cell.

* * *

"Stabler! You were way out of line in there! You are damn lucky he doesn't want to press charges for assault!" Cragen yelled, pacing back and forth in his office. "You haven't had an outburst like that in _months_! Now, I know you and Benson are close, but you let his attack on her mother get in the way of your _actual_ job, which was getting the confession for our two open _rape cases_, Elliot! You go out there and you thank your partner for pulling you off the guy, you apologize for elbowing her _in the face_ and then you thank her, _again_, for getting the damned confession after Fin pulled you out of the room!" Cragen opened the door and pointed. "Out!"

Elliot nodded and left the office, instantly walking over to Olivia, who had nice red mark on her cheek. "Liv," he began, despondently.

She held up a hand. "Don't. You told me you wanted me to be there to stop you before you went too far, I was, and I did. An elbow to the face is a small price to pay for keeping you from becoming your father," Olivia said, tossing him the file containing the written confession. She pointed to her face and glared at him. "If _this_ ever happens on purpose, I'll castrate you with a rusty fork."

"Liv, I would never! You know that! That was an accident," he ran his hands through his hair and down his face. "Liv, please..."

"You have a custody hearing to go to in two hours. Go take a shower. Change. Make sure your kids stay home for good," Olivia said giving him a smile. "Go." Elliot smiled at her and ran out of the bullpen, nervous and excited about the battle for his kids, and his sham of a marriage, finally being over.

* * *

"Why couldn't we go to the meeting?" Dickie asked, sitting on the couch in the upstairs lounge at the precinct.

Olivia smiled, looked down and peered at the small boy who was coloring on a DD5 that had to be re-typed anyway. "They're talking about grown-up stuff, sweetie."

"They're talking about us, so don't we have a right to hear what they're saying? What if Kathy says something bad about Daddy?" Maureen asked.

"Boy, you can sure tell your father's a cop," Olivia said with a sigh. "Well, kiddo, your mommy and daddy are probably going to fight, and they don't want you there when they do."

Kathleen folded her arms from her place on the floor near the couch. "They fought in front of us all the time. Why should now be different? And she's _not_ our mommy anymore, _you_ are.

Olivia looked down at the little blonde. Her heart both broke and swelled at Kathleen's words. "Oh, honey, Kathy will always be your mother. I'm sure you will forgive…"

"No," Lizzie said, holding onto Olivia from her spot in her lap. "We won't. She wasn't nice. _You_ do the mommy things."

"I do?" Olivia asked, wide-eyed. "What are 'mommy things,' Lizzie?"

"Read us stories," she replied.

Dickie exclaimed, "Tuck us in at night."

"Play with us, you help us with homework," Maureen added.

"You tell us you love us. You do, right?" Kathleen asked, hopeful.

Olivia looked at the four little faces, taking the time to study each one. They all had Elliot's blue eyes and Dickie looked just like him. She had the copies of the pictures to prove it. "Of course I do. I love all of you."

Maureen smiled at her and picked up a crayon to help her brother color. "Good, because we all really think that we love you, too. And we want to keep you. Daddy loves you,too, you know. He says so."

Dickie looked up at her, smiled, and tilted his little head. "Do you love Daddy?"

"I do. I love your father," Olivia replied, slightly taken aback by the question. She ran her hands through Lizzie's hair and smiled down at the youngster. "I'm not exactly sure how, or why, but I love him very much."

Elliot's voice was heard from the doorway, saying, "Glad to hear it, Liv, because their father loves you very much, too." The kids ran to him, enveloping him in a group hug, as Olivia rose from the couch and looked at him, her eyes silently asking him what had happened. Elliot looked at Olivia, sadly, and knelt down to speak to his kids. "Okay, guys. We have to go back to Olivia's and pack up all your things."

"What? Why?" Dickie cried.

"Don't ask questions," Elliot said. "You also need to learn to like your mother. At least, a little bit."

Olivia's face fell. Did he lose? He had lost his children? Was this her fault? "Elliot? What happened?" she asked, but his face didn't change.

"Daddy, why?" Lizzie asked, her face turning up into a pout.

"Because, sweetie, every other weekend, Easter and Thanksgiving are going to be awful for you if you can't get along with her," he said with a smile.

Olivia blinked. Then she smiled. "You won," she said. "You got them, full custody?"

"Trevor promised she wouldn't fight. She didn't fight," Elliot said.

"So, why do we have to pack?" Kathleen asked, scratching her head with the hand that wasn't wrapped around her dad's leg. "We need to pack because I am taking you guys away for the weekend so Mommy Olivia's yucky landlord can show people her apartment. The sooner he rents it out, the sooner we can move back home." He looked up at Olivia. "Kathy has to be out of the house by Monday. We can be _in_ just as fast."

Olivia didn't know what to say. She was sure she loved him, she was sure she needed him, but this would be an instant family, just add water, and she wasn't sure she could be a mother, permanently. She saw the love and excitement in his eyes, and she knew that this is what he wanted. There was still so much about him she didn't know, so much she was afraid to find out, as her hand absently brushed against the bruise forming on her cheek. "Monday?" she asked, her voice sounding strangled and dry.

Elliot nodded, then he bent down to pick up Dickie. "I know Queens isn't your favorite place, and you're probably not thrilled about living in the house I shared with Kathy for the last seven years, but we can refurnish it, Liv. The whole thing. We can even paint it, if you want, to make it completely ours."

"Paint it blue," Dickie said, rubbing his nose.

"It's already blue," Elliot said with a laugh.

Dickie shrugged. "I like blue."

"El, I don't…" She stopped, took a breath and looked at the man in front of her. In his suit, the way he was standing, the broad smile on his face and the hope and love in his eyes, he looked so much like he did the day they met. He was still her Marine, and she looked at the four little ones, Dickie in his arms and the girls surrounding him and she smiled. She didn't have a family growing up, and they had been the closest thing to one she'd ever had, in the short time they'd been together. Why was she so afraid to be happy? Why was the rational part of her brain even allowed to take part in her inner argument?

"You don't…what, Liv?" he asked, worried and sad.

Olivia smiled warmly at him, walked over to him and ran his fingers through Dickie's hair as she said, "I don't think we need to paint the house." She looked into Elliot's eyes. "I like blue, too."

Elliot sighed in relief. For a moment there he thought he lost her. But what he didn't know, and what he never would, was for a moment there, he had.

**A/N: The weekend away with the kids is next. Their real relationship shines through, without the mask of their partnership. Two **_**noches**_** to themselves. Review to get it!! Thanks for reading!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: How will they handle their first night away? Alone? With no cases, no work, no Kathy? Well, just fine! Until...something happens one night.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

The ride upstate was quiet. The children were asleep and Olivia was thinking. She was staring out the window, thinking about how _the fuck_ she got here. How did a one-night stand with a hot Marine turn into seven years of wishful thinking and heartbreak, followed by a cosmic twist of fate and almost a month of practically being the man's _wife_? How the hell did she end up in the passenger side of his Chevy Tahoe, with him and his four little angels, on the way to some peaceful, woodsy cabin for three days? How many licks did it take to get to the center of a certain chocolate-filled lollipop? The answer was the same, for all of these questions. The world may never know. And Olivia didn't care. She was fucking happy.

"What's going on in that pretty, little head of yours?" Elliot asked, turning off of the country road.

"I'm trying to picture life without you, and I can't. Not without wanting to shoot myself in the face," she said nonchalantly, "So, I'm gonna stop doing that now."

Elliot laughed. "Good." He pulled onto a dirt and stone road surrounded on both sides by lush pine, maple and willow trees. "We're here, baby," he said. He parked the car in front of a fairly large log cabin. It looked like something out of a romance novel. Elliot got out of the car, walked around and opened Olivia's door, then slid the side door open to wake up his kids. Dickie groaned, but hopped out and walked, half asleep, up to the cabin door. Maureen and Kathleen, both with their eyes still closed, dragged their feet and their rolling pink suitcases to the steps. Lizzie wasn't having it, she shook her head and gruffed. Elliot chuckled, then gave in and picked her up. He carried her up to the door, slinging her over his shoulder, and turned the key. The second he pushed the door open, the kids went into their rooms and plopped on the beds, going right back to sleep. Elliot put Lizzie in her bunk and shut the door behind him.

"Welcome to the Stabler family cabin, Liv," Elliot said, holding his arms out. "The bathroom is right there, kitchen, you're in the living room, and _that_ door is our bedroom. I had the cleaning crew change the sheets and sterilize everything," he said as he opened the door to their room.

Olivia laughed. "How romantic," she quipped. She gasped when she saw the size of the bedroom, and the bed. "Oh, El, this is gorgeous."

"Eh, it's okay. _You're_ gorgeous," he told her, stepping closer, wrapping her in his arms. "The kids have the right idea, Liv. I think it's time for a nap." He flopped himself on the bed, taking her with him, and they laughed, happily. He wound himself around her, pulling her close. He rolled on top of her, claiming her mouth with his. The kiss was insistent, demanding, almost agonizing. He needed her. He smiled as he kissed her, reach between them and unzipped her sweatshirt, and pushed it off of her shoulders. She answered him by pulling up on his hoodie, they had to break their kiss to get it over his head, but when his rippling muscles were exposed Olivia felt it was worth it. Elliot bent down, latched his mouth onto her neck and groaned when she bucked her hips, rubbing against him, making him harder.

She couldn't get him out of his pants fast enough. Her speed and agility shocked him and he laughed. "Shit, Liv, eager much?"

"When it comes to you? Always," she said with a wink.

Elliot pulled her tank top off over her head and slid down her body, pulling her thin sweatpants off of her lean, athletic legs, taking the time to run his fingers along her skin, sending chills up her spine. When he crawled back up, he paused to lick, just once, at her hot, wet center. She gasped and wriggled a bit and he laughed, proudly. She was _beyond_ aroused. He moved the rest of the way up her body, reattached his lips to hers, and slid into her, slowly, smoothly, and he seethed when he felt her nails dig into his back. They dug deeper as he pushed deeper. This was their way. They couldn't scream, so they grabbed and bit and kissed. As he moved faster, she dug deeper and their kiss grew harsh, biting on lips and nibbling on tongues. When he slowed down, she relaxed her grip and their kisses became gentle and sweet, and he loved alternating between fast and hard, and slow and gentle. In bed, he was like he _always_ was, a two-sided coin, Jekyll and Hyde, and Olivia loved them both equally.

"Liv, baby," he said, during a slow moment, "Look at me."

Olivia rolled her head back toward him. She wasn't even aware her eyes had been closed. She ran her hands up his back and gripped his shoulders as she opened her eyes. He was resting his forehead against hers, gazing at her. "Damn, your eyes, El, are so beautiful," she panted. He sped up, snaked his hand between them and pressed down with his thumb, firmly, on her clit, rubbing in slow circles. "Holy shit," she screamed in a whisper. Elliot grinned smugly when he felt her tighten, and he slowed down his thrusts and sped up his rubbing. He saw the light burst in her eyes and knew that if he didn't shut her up, she was _going _to scream, but then again, so was he. He thrust into her one last time and crashed his mouth into hers, holding her tightly to him as they waited out their simultaneous release.

"Oh, my God, El," Olivia said with a short chuckle.

Elliot rolled them over so he wouldn't squish her, and laughed. "I told you it would just keep getting better," he said, kissing her. He pulled the blanket up over them, he set the alarm on the end table to go off in an hour, and they fell asleep, wrapped in each others arms.

* * *

"We're back," Elliot said, walking up the trail. He was holding a bucket and a fishing pole. Dickie ran next to him, his little legs carrying him as fast as they could. He, too, had a child-size fishing rod and he was smiling, brightly. "I caught a fishy!" he yelled.

"He has named it Fred and wants to teach it how to play checkers," Elliot said, beaming with fatherly pride. "I tried to tell him Fred couldn't play checkers because he doesn't have any hands, and he can't leave the water, but Dickie insists that Fred can use his fins and they can play in the bathtub."

Olivia laughed. "Oh, well, did we catch any fish that we _aren't_ keeping as pets? Ones that I could maybe, I dunno, cook? Your women are hungry," she said, slapping Elliot in the arm playfully.

Elliot whispered, "We are _totally_ cooking Fred. Fred is a flounder. I am not keeping a flounder in the bathtub." He kissed her and heard his daughters giggle. "Oh, be quiet, you three. You're gonna have to get used to that."

"Okay," Maureen said, still giggling.

Kathleen looked up from the picnic table. "Daddy, do mommies and daddies kiss?"

"When they really love each other, and when they're happy, yes," he said. He knew exactly why she was asking. They had never seen him kiss Kathy.

Lizzie laughed and smiled. "Told you, Mo-Mo."

"Told her what?" Elliot asked, looking at the four-year old.

Kathleen rolled her eyes, and replied, "Lizzie, we _all_ said it. You just _keep_ saying it."

Elliot was getting very curious. "Katie, what does Lizzie keep saying?"

"That I'm their new mommy. The _real_ one," Olivia said, a weird expression on her face. "They've been saying it all day. To me, to each other, Lizzie even told that tree over there," she said, pointing to a tall pine tree. "She told me the tree approves."

Elliot didn't know what that look on Olivia's face meant, but knowing that his kids loved her, and wanted her to be their mommy, that made him incredibly happy. "Oh, well, uh, as long as they're not telling the plant-life anything that's not true, we're okay, right?"

Olivia's eyes widened, and sparkled, and the odd expression on her face softened. He was okay with it? She heard him tell his mother that she was going to be their mommy soon, but she thought he was just saying it out of anger, to get Bernie to shut up. Knowing that he _meant_ it made her feel warm and tingly all over.

* * *

Olivia had the fish cooked and plated in no time, and the kids went nuts over her homemade fish-sticks. She, of course, made adult filets for herself and Elliot. "Liv," Elliot said, "This is _so_ good, baby. I didn't even know you could cook like _this_. You don't cook often."

"No, I don't. I only know how because I had to take care of myself most of life, and if I didn't cook, no one was gonna do it for me. I'd really rather have a nice Asian man do it for me and have one of his nine children deliver it to me on his bicycle," she joked.

"Daddy," Maureen said, "Are you gonna answer that?"

"Answer what?" Elliot asked.

"Your phone," Kathleen said. They were quiet for a moment, listening, and they heard a cell phone ringing. "It isn't mine," Elliot said. He looked at Olivia. "Is it yours, baby?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, mine's in my pocket. That sounds like it's coming from over there," she said, getting up. She grabbed a flashlight off of the table and flipped the switch, walking toward the sound. "Maybe someone dropped it on the trail, and they're calling it to find it. We should pick it..." She stopped when she found the cell phone. "El, honey, take the kids inside. It's getting cold out here."

Elliot raised an eyebrow. "What? Liv, it is not..."

"Get them in the cabin, Elliot," she said, sternly. She used her perp-hurting-voice. Elliot told all of the kids to grab their plates and go inside. "Sit at the kitchen table, do not move, I will be right in," he said, closing and locking the door. He ran over to Olivia and gasped, then hung his head.

Olivia, still shining the light in front of her, said, "Call Cragen. He'll get in touch with the precinct out here. Until they get here, I guess she's ours."

"So much for a worry-free, family vacation," he said. "Wait, Liv, how the fuck am I gonna explain why you are at my cabin, in the woods, with me and my kids, to Cragen?"

"Shit," she replied. "Um, you found the girl, you called me, then you called Cragen. I took a really fast train."

Elliot chuckled. "This is gonna be harder than we thought, isn't it? Keeping us a secret from Cragen and IAB? Munch and Fin aren't a problem..." she interrupted him.

"El, we can figure out how to lie to our commanding officer later, just call him. We've got a teenaged girl lying dead and half naked behind our cabin!"

Elliot pulled out his cell phone, dialed, and prayed that Cragen would be able to contact the local department without having to take the trip out to the cabin himself.

**A/N: What happens? Do they get stuck working when they should be enjoying their weekend, or do the local cops come to the rescue? Will Cragen surprise them? Review?! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Who's working? Who's on vacation? What happens when Cragen comes a' callin?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

"Liv," Elliot called from the cabin door. "Just let it go. She's not our problem. She's not our vic. Can you just wait till Cragen calls…"

"No," she interrupted, looming over the body. "I can't. El, she's under your car! This is gonna look _bad_ unless I find out how she got here. Stay with your kids, be a daddy." She pointed the flashlight down and noticed drag marks leading from the girl's heels to the woods on the other side of the path. She followed the trail and was about to step into the dark, ominous, group of trees, when she heard sirens in the distance, the blaring sound coming closer.

"Daddy," Maureen said, tugging on Elliot's pant leg, "You gotta go to work now?" She looked up at him, sadly. For a seven year old, she was damn smart.

Elliot chuckled. "No, sweet pea," he said, reaching down and lifting her into his arms. "Those are_ other_ police officers. They're coming to help the girl that Momma Liv is outside helping. Then, she can come back inside. Where she belongs."

"Momma Liv's gonna read us a story, right?" Kathleen asked from the couch.

Elliot smiled over at her. "She will if you ask her to, honey."

"We never asked the other times," said Dickie, rubbing his eyes.

Lizzie nodded. "She just does."

Elliot smirked, then turned his attention back outside. He saw Olivia approaching the local detectives who had arrived, along with Cragen, who looked either confused or pissed. He couldn't tell from his vantage point.

"Benson," Cragen said. "This is Sherriff Daniels."

Olivia shook the man's hand, then shook her captain's. "Why are you here, sir?" she asked.

Cragen smirked. "They don't have a Special Victims Unit out here, never had a big enough need for it, so I volunteered to come out and help. Now, do you wanna tell me what you and Stabler were…"

"He's here with his kids. This is his cabin. They were eating dinner, he heard a cell phone ringing, he went to check it out and found the girl. Then he called you," Olivia stated, as if she were giving the details of any other case. Stoic, official, full of shit.

Cragen sighed, but seemed satisfied with the explanation. She had left out how _she_ got there, though. "Okay, so what's the deal with the girl?" Daniels and Cragen peered down at the body.

Olivia aimed her flashlight on the girl's face. "She was dragged over here from that area of woods. Torn blouse and ripped skirt, no underwear. Bruising and cuts indicate sexual assault, but she doesn't have any defensive wounds. There are bruises and marks around her neck, but they aren't handprints. It looks like something was pressed down on her throat. Like a stick or a pipe or a…"

Cragen held up a hand, stopping her. "You don't think Elliot…"

"No!" She shouted. She never thought that Cragen would assume Elliot had anything to do with it.

Cragen pointed his finger at the Tahoe. "Benson, this is his car, his cabin. Unless you were here with him…"

"I _was_." Olivia said it quickly, sternly. She had no idea what she'd just done. She just wanted to get him out of trouble, but she might have gotten him in even more.

Cragen's eyes widened. Then he ran a hand over his face. "Wow, okay, that's a whole _new_ problem. You were here with him the _whole_ time?"

Olivia inhaled sharply. "Yes. We left together, from my place, at four in the morning. We got here around five. The kids went right back to sleep and we, uh, unpacked and took a nap ourselves. We had lunch, watched some T.V. and then went for a hike. We came back, cleaned up, changed and he took Dickie fishing. I cooked the fish, one of which Dickie named Fred, he was a flounder. We ate dinner out here. We heard the phone ringing at around four o'clock. _I_ found the girl, _not_ Elliot. If you don't believe me, ask him. Ask the kids. Check the bedroom. I have a suitcase and a duffle bag in there. Check the security tapes at my…"

"I believe you," Cragen said. "I'm just upset, and angry. This is gonna cause problems. Serious ones."

"Captain Cragen," one of the local cops yelled. "We need you over here."

Cragen ran over to wear the uniformed man was standing then turned toward Olivia. "Benson, get in that cabin, now! You stay in there with Stabler and those kids."

"What? Why? What happened?" she asked, shouting back.

"Another girl," Cragen yelled. "And she's still warm."

* * *

Olivia was standing in the hallway between the girls' room and Dickie's room, reading, giving each character a personality and a different voice. She lowered her voice and growled when she had to be the mean old troll. She raised her voice and spoke quietly when she was supposed to be a tiny mouse. The kids loved it. "The mouse looked back at the bridge and shouted, 'You'll never be mean again, Mr. Troll.' And he was right. The troll had changed his evil ways, all thanks to one tiny, little mouse. The end." Olivia shut the book and peeked inside the kids' rooms. "Good night guys," she said.

"Night, Momma Liv!" Dickie shouted.

Kathleen and Maureen gave a quiet, yawning, "Night."

"Goodnight," muttered Lizzie, half asleep already.

Olivia closed the doors, smiling, and walked softly over to the couch where Elliot was waiting for her. She sat next to him and smiled. He smirked at her and chuckled. "Why didn't you tell me about that little hidden talent?"

"Huh?" she asked, her brow furrowed.

Elliot wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. "I think, if you read that on a stage, they'd give you a Tony."

"Thanks," she said. "Just because my dope of a mother sucked at the bedtime story thing doesn't mean I didn't read them to_ myself_! I am one kickass storyteller. And, also, I was in the drama club in high school, took a few acting classes in college, ya know? I had to. Part of the training. Undercover ops require acting skills."

"When the hell are you gonna have to go undercover as _Marvin the Miracle Mouse_?" he said with a laugh. She elbowed him in the stomach, playfully and as she laughed, he kissed her. He loved her so much, and when they were happy, when she laughed, his life was absolutely perfect. Just as the kiss deepened and he had maneuvered them flat on the couch, there was a knock on the door.

"I hmf tuh grt the drr," Elliot said, his actual words muffled by Olivia's deep kiss. She pulled away, laughing. "What? she chuckled. Elliot laughed as he told her, "I said, 'I have to get the door', but I didn't want to stop kissing you." He chuckled some more as she pushed herself off of him, letting him up to answer the door. It was Cragen.

The captain shook Elliot's hand and said, "I just wanted to tell you that Sherriff Daniels found the perp deep in the woods, with another girl. She's alive, unharmed."

"Good," Elliot said. "Thank you for coming out…"

Cragen interrupted him. "Look, I know _you_ took the weekend off to come out here," he said to Elliot, trying not to sound like he was accusing him of something, "But, _you_, Benson, told me you were visiting _family_. I'm not gonna lie, I suspected something was going on with you two. I mean, Christ, Stabler's mother practically gave that away. You're closer than any partners I've ever commanded. But, to know that I was _right_…how serious are you?"

Olivia faltered, paled, and opened and closed her mouth a few times. She didn't know how to answer that. Elliot was about to say something when Dickie's door opened and he padded into the living room. "Momma Liv," he said, rubbing his eyes, "Where's Fred?"

Cragen's eyes widened, then he chuckled. "Oh, great. Have fun explaining that." He looked at Olivia. "His kids call you 'Momma?'" he asked. Olivia nodded. Cragen sighed. "That answers my question. Enjoy your weekend. Monday, you've got some decisions to make."

Cragen said his goodbyes and left the cabin. Elliot explained that Fred wasn't pet-fishy material and he had to be sent back to the river, because he wasn't going to tell his son they _ate_ Fred. As soon as Dickie was back in his bed, and asleep, Elliot took Olivia by the hand, pulled her off the couch and led her to their room.

"Liv," he said, "I'm not concerned. I will _work_ with someone else, as long as I get to come _home_ to you. Please, don't fight Cragen's decision, whatever that may be. I can't lose you. Not again." He pulled her close to him and ensconced her in such a firm hug that she felt as if moving out of it would insult him.

"El, honey, I knew," she said. "We_ both_ knew that this would happen eventually. I'm not going to complain. Whatever the consequences are, we'll handle them. _Monday_, we'll handle them. As long as you're mine in every other aspect of my life, I can handle having another partner for a few hours a day."

Elliot loosened his grip and pulled back, looking at her, a gleam in his eye. Olivia smirked as she said, "I'm not going to_ enjoy_ it, but I can handle it."

He smiled warmly as he pulled her to him, his lips crashing into hers, and her hands instinctively wrapped around him, running along his back. She moaned at the feel of his muscles beneath his tee-shirt, and she slid her hands under the cotton, feeling his toned body. He groaned at the contact, wanting to hold her for the rest of his life, never wanting this kiss to end.

He gently eased them onto the bed, which was still unmade from their morning and afternoon romps. He peeled her pajamas off of her, slowly, reveling in her beauty as her tan skin was exposed. "Gorgeous," he whispered, once he'd gotten her completely naked. She returned the favor, pulling his tee-shirt over his head and pushing his sweatpants down his legs, yanking them off of his feet.

As the couple made slow, sweet love in their bed, in their room, in the cabin, in the woods, they forgot, momentarily, about the two, almost three, dead girls that had interrupted their vacation and outed them to their captain. They forgot, for an hour and a half, about the perfect partnership that would probably be sacrificed in honor of the greater love they shared, the stronger relationship they had formed. They forgot, blissfully, that they would soon face _more_ changes than they were probably prepared to handle. At this moment, the only thing they hadn't forgotten was that night, that _one_ glorious _night_ that brought them together, and together they would remain. At least, until Monday.

**A/N: Next Noche? The rest of their weekend. And what happens Monday, when Liv moves into the house, and what choices do they have to make? Will those choices be permanent? Review if you want it!?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: One night on the job, after making certain choices, everything changes. But, then again, it's only **_**ever **_**taken una noche. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. Storyline, dialogue, narrative and originality belong to TStabler©**

The rest of the weekend was pure bliss, for all parties involved. Elliot fell deeper in love with Olivia. Olivia finally understood what it meant to have a family. The kids dropped the "Liv" and by Sunday morning, as they were packing, she was simply, "Momma." She even began to forget that they weren't her kids, telling the man at the first gas station, "My son needs to use the bathroom. Can we have the key?"

The man said that Dickie had her nose, and she said thank you, forgetting, momentarily, that it was impossible for him to have her nose. When they hit the road again, Olivia chuckled. Elliot looked over at her as they pulled back out onto the highway and smirked. "What, Liv? What's so funny?"

"Our son has my nose," she said with a laugh.

Elliot looked at her with a furrowed brow. "What?"

"Never mind." She leaned her head back against the seat and gazed out the window. "This weekend was amazing. Dead body and serial rapist aside, that is."

"Yeah," Elliot said, "It was. We have to finish packing your stuff tonight. If you're still sure about..."

"I am," she said, interrupting him. "I need to be able to come home to you, now that we're probably getting split up at work. I'm so used to having you and the kids with me, and so used to sleeping with you, waking up in your arms, I'm afraid that If I don't, even for one night, I'll go crazy."

Elliot sighed in relief. "Good, because I gave Munch and Fin my key on Thursday and they already moved all of your stuff into the house."

"El," she said, shocked, "What if I had changed my mind?"

"You wouldn't have any furniture, clothes or appliances until tomorrow," he said with a nonchalant shrug.

Olivia laughed. "I love you, you goofball."

"I love you, too, baby." Elliot looked at her and saw her chuckle again, a twinkle in her eyes. "Okay, _now_ why are you laughing?"

"Trevor tried to call me 'baby,' and I used to tell him to bite me, then I'd hit him. It pissed me off. I was never a 'baby,' or 'honey,' or 'sweetheart,'" she said. "But with you...I'm _your_ 'baby', _your_ 'honey,' _your_ 'sweetheart.' I love when you give me little pet names. You make me _such_ a girl."

Elliot chuckled, reaching over to grab her hand. "You're _my_ girl, pumpkin."

"Don't push it," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I draw the line at food names."

* * *

Monday morning, they walked into the bullpen, bright-eyed, but nervous. They knocked on Cragen's door and heard him yell, "Come in."

They opened the door, walked in, and each took a seat on one of the leather chairs in front of the captain's desk. "Okay," Elliot said. "What choices do we have to make?"

Cragen sighed. "Christ, Stabler, when I said first thing Monday morning, I didn't mean..." he paused and scratched his head. "Well, we could all lie. That's choice number one. But, that puts all of our badges at stake, if IAB finds out that you're together and I that I knew and covered for you, we're all on out our asses. I'm not prepared to put my career on the line for you. Choice two, I forget I know about it, you act like nothing's happening, we forget shit. But, again, we're in a fuckload of trouble if anyone besides me knows about you two. Do they?"

"Uh," Olivia said, "Munch and Fin, kind of overheard..."

"Fanfuckingtastic," Cragen said. "Choice two is no longer a choice. Option three, switch partners. Option four, one of you leaves the unit."

Elliot ran a hand through his hair. "So one and two aren't actual choices, and there's no way in hell either one of us is going with four. Three, I guess."

Olivia felt her heart crack. "Fine."

"If anything happens between you two, then you'll be able to work together again, but it'll be awkward," Cragen said. "When I feel like I can _safely_ risk my ass for the two of you, then I'll put you back together and handle IAB, but right now, I can't do that."

Elliot sighed. "Cap, we wouldn't..."

Cragen interrupted. "No, Elliot. I _can't_ because you didn't tell me when this started. How the hell long has this been going on?"

Elliot sighed. "Liv and I...we were together _before_ she got here, and we just..."

"Wait, I hired your girlfriend? Elliot, you were fucking around on Kathy?" Cragen asked, shocked.

"No!" Elliot yelled. "Well, yes, technically, but seven _years_ ago! Liv and I met seven years ago, and we reconnected when she got this job. I had already ended things with Kathy. We just, picked up where we left off, I guess."

"You've been together since _the day_ Benson arrived at SVU? And I just found out about this on Friday?" Cragen asked, folding his arms. "I'm losing my detective skills, aren't I? You guys have done a damn good job of keeping this out of the office."

Olivia looked hopeful. "Does that mean..."

"Nope. Benson, you're with Fin. Stabler, you get Munch. Just until I can figure out a way around IAB's cockamamie rules," Cragen said, rubbing his forehead. "That being said, Benson, you and Fin have a one-thirty, East Fiftieth. Here," he said, handing her a pink slip of paper.

Olivia looked at Elliot, sadly, and sighed. "Yeah, thanks Cap." She left to get Fin and go, and Elliot looked up at his captain. "Is this really only temporary?" he asked.

"I don't know, Elliot. I'm not making you move or empty out your desks, though. What does that tell you?" Cragen said with a small smirk.

* * *

"Okay, Baby-Girl, just stay behind me," Fin said, leading Olivia through the abandoned building. "Bad guy could be anywhere."

"Fin, I know how to do my job, thanks," she responded with a chuckle.

They turned a corner, shining their flashlights. "There isn't a single person in this whole building. I think we got the wrong address," Fin said.

Olivia pulled out the pink-slip. "No, it says, right here, Two-Eighty-Nine East Fiftieth Street, sexual assault in progress."

Fin shrugged. "Guess we keep looking," he muttered.

Olivia pushed open a door, but was met with more of the same. Nothing. "One-thirty my ass, I don't see any signs of any aggravated sexual..."

The three gunshots rang out, Fin turned and fired, nailing the son of a bitch, then he looked down. "Olivia! Come on, Baby-Girl, stay wit' me," he said, cradling her bleeding body in his arms. She rolled her head to the side, her eyes fluttering shut. "Come on, Baby-Girl, you stay wit' me now. Hold on, Olivia!" Fin pulled out a walkie-talkie and pushed the button.

* * *

Elliot and Munch were processing paperwork when they heard the static and a muffled voice coming through the radio on Munch's desk. "This is SVU portable! Officer down! Repeat, SVU Portable, I need a bus at two-eight-nine East Fiftieth Street. My partner's been shot!"

"That sounds like Fin," Elliot said, panicking. "Liv!"

Cragen burst out of his office and grabbed his jacket. "Stabler, let's go. Munch, you're in charge."

"What?" Elliot said, fear rising. "Cap?"

"I got a call on the radio," Cragen said, "We gotta go. Now!" The captain left the bullpen without another word. Elliot ran out after his captain, his heart pounding, hyperventilating, praying harder than he had ever prayed before. They pulled up to the building at the same time as the EMT's were bringing Olivia out of it. Elliot got out of the car and ran over. He practically screamed.

"What's wrong with her?" he shouted, tears streaming down his face.

The medical technician, rolling her stretcher toward the ambulance, who knew Elliot, said, "She was shot, Detective Stabler, three times. Shoulder, and two in the back. She's unconscious and losing blood. Are you riding with her?"

"Yes," he said, grabbing her cold, limp hand. He leaped into the ambulance with her.

The EMT climbed in and the doors were shut behind them. He hooked up a new bag and looked at Elliot. "Detective Stabler, why weren't you with her? You're her...

"I don't want to talk about it. My boss had a lapse in judgement." Elliot straightened out the oxygen mask on Olivia's face, then wiped his eyes.

"Detective, do you know her blood type?" the technician asked.

"A-positive, why?" Elliot said with a sniffle.

The EMT sighed. "When we get to Mercy General she's going to need..."

"We're the same type. Use _me_. I'm right here," he said, without hesitation.

The EMT balked. "Detective Stabler, are you sure you..."

"Do it, damn it!" Elliot yelled! "I'm her medical proxy, anyway. Check her chart when you get to the hospital. Just do it," he ordered. As the EMT rolled up Elliot's sleeve, he leaned closer to Olivia, wiped the hair out of her eyes, and kissed her forehead. He didn't feel the needle pierce his skin. He didn't feel the blood being siphoned from his arm, from Jesus himself, from just below the crown of Olivia's name. He didn't feel anything. He was numb.

* * *

Elliot called his brother when they got to the hospital, and he said he'd stay with the kids. That was four hours ago, after he swore he didn't blame Fin, but told him, "You never walk in front of or behind her, you walk side-by-side, on an angle, constantly watching each other's backs." That's when Cragen knew what he had to do, and made a phone call himself. Three hours ago, Elliot stopped crying. Two hours ago, Elliot stopped talking. An hour ago, he stopped moving. Now, he stopped breathing. The doctor came out, through the doors, covered in what could only be Olivia's blood. Some of which was now Elliot's.

"Who's here for Olivia Benson?" the surgeon asked.

Elliot ran over, followed by Cragen and Fin. "I'm her partner. Take it however you want, you'll be right," Elliot said.

"Does she have any next of kin? Immediate family? A boyfriend? A husband?" the doctor asked, his eyes falling.

"That's me, you ass, Elliot Stabler," he shouted.

"Oh! It's just, her last name is...never mind. She's still out of it, and she will be for a while. Two bullet's missed all vital organs, one was lodged in the side of her kidney, but we managed to repair the damage. She would have lost a lot more blood if she wasn't bagged in the ambulance. Thank God you were there, and that you're her type. You can stay with her if you'd like." Elliot nodded and followed the surgeon into the recovery room.

He gasped when he saw her. She looked like she was sleeping, but he knew that it was so much more complicated than that. He pulled on of the uncomfortable, too-small chairs up to Olivia's bed, sat down, and grabbed her hand. He kissed each knuckle and spoke to her. "Liv, baby, don't you ever scare me like this again. You don't know what I've been going through, what has been running through my head. I can't live without you, baby. I have forgotten how to do that. I can't tell you how pissed off I am, and how I blame Cragen for this. This wouldn't have happened if you would have been out there with me, Liv, where you _belong_. If he would have just let us lie, or not split us up until IAB fucking found out and said something," Elliot cried into her hand. "Baby, you're gonna be okay. You _need_ to be okay." He leaned over and kissed her forehead, each one of her eyelids and her lips, lightly. "Liv, you're gonna be okay, pumpkin."

She didn't move her head, she didn't make a sound. She simply squeezed his hand. And he knew that she was listening, and that she was pissed that he called her pumpkin. He let out a relieved laugh. "Okay," he said with a sniffle, as he kissed her again. "No food names. Got it." He stroked back her hair and squeezed her hand in return. "You can hear me, huh? Well, then, hear _this_, Detective Benson. I _love_ you. Tonight has made me realize how _much_. You know, you've got my blood running through your veins, quite literally, you needed it, Liv. I gave it to you. I would give my _life_ for you, baby, but I hope I never have to." He thought for a moment, as he looked down at her. He got angry, then he got impulsive. "Ya know what? IAB can suck my dick, Liv. When you wake up, and when you get out of here, let's _really_ piss them off. Marry me."

She squeezed his hand, hard and he looked down at her. Her eyes had shot open. His widened. They stared at each other in silence. She _couldn't_ speak, and he wasn't sure he wanted her to, as he realized exactly what he'd just said.

**A/N: Did he mean it? Does she say yes? Who did Cragen call? Want more? Reviews keep me going, and they make me happy! =)**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Another night, another moment. How does Olivia react to what she heard? Or, does she even react at all? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. Storyline, dialogue, narrative and originality belong to TStabler©**

Elliot and Olivia were still staring at each other, frozen in fear and a tense realization. Elliot didn't know what had flown out of his mouth until he looked into her pained brown eyes. "Oh, God, Liv, um, I said that, uh…" he stuttered.

She interrupted his fractured thoughts, not with words, but with her actions. Her eyes rolled back into the depths of her skull and her head lolled to the side. She was out just as quickly as she'd awakened, but she _had_ just been given the shock of her life. Passing out was understandable. Elliot could only hope that when she woke up, again, she'd forget that he pretty much demanded that she marry him for the sole purpose of making their superiors angry. If he wanted to be an impulsive asshole, he, at least, wanted to be a _romantic,_ impulsive asshole. He would need to find a way to pry his foot out of his mouth and show her that, although he hadn't meant to _say_ it, he did _mean_ it. With all of his heart.

Frankie had brought the kids to the hospital, at Elliot's request, an hour ago and they were getting tired of waiting to see their "momma," so Frankie knocked lightly on the door, snapping Elliot out of his panicked thoughts. Elliot turned toward the door, expecting a doctor or Fin. What he got was something far less tolerable.

"Yo, fuckwad," Frankie snapped. "Your little ankle-biters are asking for their mommy. Where the hell is the blonde bitch, anyway?"

Elliot rolled his eyes. "It's nice to see you, too, Frank. Olivia's fine, thanks," he said sarcastically, nodding toward the bed.

"Who?" his brother asked, snidely. "Oh, your partner. Good. So, am I calling Kathy so your kids can shut up?"

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "No, assmunch, they were asking for Liv. I got full custody, I told you that! Kathy and I…it's been over for a while, man, where the hell have you been? I told you _everything_. I told you all about Liv and…"

"Sorry, numb-nuts, I don't really listen when you call and talk to me. But, I can safely say, good riddance. Kathy was such an obnoxious, whiny, pain-in-the-ass." Frankie looked down at the hospital and his eyes widened. "Hey, she's a hottie," he said, smirking. "When she wakes up, introduce me. So, can I go call that Liv girl? Your kids are really getting on my…"

"What?" Elliot interrupted, disbelieving. "You dumb shit, this _is_ Liv!" He raised their intertwined hands and scoffed at his brother. "You're unbelievable!"

Frankie's face fell. "Oh, Christ, Elliot. I'm…I'm sorry, man. I didn't know your girlfriend and your partner were the _same_ person!" He rested a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder and sighed. "She's okay, though, right?"

Elliot nodded. "She will be, yeah. She's just gonna need a lot of rest and a lot of pain killers." Frankie nodded and ran a hand through his hair as he peered down at his exhausted and pale brother. "Uh, what do you, um, what do you want me to say to the kids?"

"Tell them she's fine and when she wakes up they can come and see her. Tell them that we both love them very much, and it means a lot to Liv and me that they're here," Elliot said, looking away from Frankie and back down at the unconscious beauty beside him. Frankie nodded and slapped Elliot on the back. "Do you want a cup of coffee or something, fucker?"

Elliot snorted. "Yeah, that'd be great, douchebag."

Five minutes later, Frankie brought Elliot a cup of coffee that made Munch's crap taste like a gourmet French-roast blend and a stale donut that would be better used as a hockey puck than food, but Elliot ate and drank gratefully. Frankie smiled sadly at his brother. He'd never seen Elliot look so worried or so lost before. With a last slap on Elliot's back, he said, "I'll be waiting out there with the brats," Frankie left, and Elliot went right back to his vigilant guarding of Olivia, his hand never leaving hers. He checked the clock, every so often, mentally keeping track of how long she'd been out. When it was getting close to the kids bedtime, he sent a text to his brother telling him to take them home. He sent a_ text_ to his brother in the waiting room less than twenty feet away; he didn't want to let go of Olivia for a single second.

* * *

Outside in the waiting area, Frankie received the message and turned to the kids. "Guys, it looks like your, uh, _momma_ isn't gonna be waking up before you guys have to go to sleep. Dad says he wants me to take you guys home..."

"Teddy bear," Maureen interjected, holding up the cute, fuzzy animal. "She needs the teddy bear. She needs him now!"

Kathleen agreed. "When we're hurt or sick, we can't sleep without one," she said. "We have to give him to Momma!"

Frankie looked at his nieces and his heart broke. "I'll just, um, let your dad know." He sent a reply text to Elliot, more of a warning then a request, then he marched the four eager children down the hall. Frankie tapped on the door and poked his head in. "Is it safe?" he whispered. "Can they come in?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, sighing, and sitting up straight. As he saw his kids come in, one by one, he said, "Okay, guys, you need to be quiet. Momma's sleeping. You can't wake her up right now, okay?"

They all nodded. "Up," Lizzie said, holding her arms out. "Wanna kiss Momma!" Elliot held back the emotions he was feeling as he lifted his four year old girl and held her over the side of the bed. Lizzie's little lips pursed and she gently kissed Olivia's cheek. "Night momma. Come home soon," she whispered. Dickie tugged on Elliot's pants. "Me, too!" he shouted in a whisper. Elliot chuckled. "Okay, little man," he said. He put Lizzie down and picked Dickie up. "Good night, Momma. Uncle Frankie doesn't do the voices, I'll miss your story tonight." He kissed her cheek, too, then Elliot put him back on the floor. Maureen and Kathleen climbed up on the chair, claiming they were "big girls" and didn't need Daddy to pick them up. They both leaned over to speak to Olivia. "Momma, this is Alfie. Since you're sleeping I'll tell you about him," Maureen said. "He's real fuzzy. He has one brown eye and one blue eye. The man at the store said it's a facture defect."

Elliot laughed. "Manufacturer, honey. A manufacturer defect."

"Whatever, Daddy," Kathleen said, continuing where Maureen left off. "But, we think it just means he was meant to be your teddy bear. He has one of daddy's eyes and one of yours, so we knew he should be the one who protects you when you're sleeping. Alfie will take the pain away, Momma. Hold him close," Kathleen instructed, placing the bear in the crook of Olivia's arm. "Love you," Maureen said as she and her sister placed little kisses on Olivia's cheek. A small smile crept across Olivia's face and the girls gasped. "Look! She knows we're here!" Kathleen shouted.

Elliot nodded. "Of course she does, sweetie. She's your momma. She always knows where you are." Frankie and Elliot said goodbye, Elliot kissed his kids, and they left the room, finally giving Elliot the chance to cry.

* * *

Olivia woke up, several hours later, with severe pain shooting through her back and the urge to pee, a side-effect of being shot in the kidney, but she simply couldn't move. She blinked, groaned and looked down at the reason behind her immobility. Elliot, wrapped around her arm, sound asleep. She smiled a flat smile and lifted her other arm in an attempt to touch him, seething in pain instantly. She didn't remember getting shot in her shoulder. She didn't remember much of anything, actually. Elliot stirred at the noise and the movement, he popped his head up. "Liv?" he asked, panicking, his eyes still heavy-lidded.

"Hi," she whispered, hoarsely. Elliot sat up straight and reached over to the pitcher of water at her bedside table, pouring her a glass. He held it out to her, gently guiding the straw to her. She rolled her eyes, but smiled and sipped. "Thanks," she said, her voice still sandpapery.

"God, you scared me." Elliot ran a hand over Olivia's head and traced the contours of her face. "I should have been there. I don't care what we have to do, I'm telling Cragen..."

Olivia shook her head. "El," she croaked. "Please. I feel like shit." She swallowed hard, and Elliot gave her more water. She had to speak in short choppy sentences; it hurt to talk too much. "Don't wanna talk about this. Not now."

"Sorry, baby. I just feel..." he paused and shrugged.

"Not your fault. No one's fault," she declared, rubbing her thumb along the edge of Elliot's hand. She sipped more water, finally getting feeling back in her throat. "You're not tired of this?" she asked, tilting their intertwined hands to let him know what she was taking about.

Elliot shook his head, lifted their hands to his face and kissed her hand. "Why would I be?"

Olivia let out a small breathy laugh, then winced in pain. "You've been holding it for hours," she said, through clenched teeth.

"And I'm gonna keep holding it," Elliot said. He leaned in close to her, kissed her on the forehead and then the lips. "For as long at you'll let me."

Olivia smiled. "Forever's good."

"Good," he said, smiling. He took a breath, and tried to find the words to say what he wanted to say. They weren't coming easy. He was lost, confused. He fumbled. Badly. "Speaking of forever, baby, before...when I told you...I wasn't asking you to...I didn't mean..."

"I know you didn't," she interrupted, her eyes drifing shut again. She didn't go back to sleep, she just didn't have the strength to keep them open. "I know you. You get mad and you say things that you don't..."

Elliot interrupted her this time. "No, Liv. I meant it! I just didn't mean it the way it came out, ya know? I don't want _that_ to be the way I ask you. That was the least romantic thing in world! You were passed out, on a thousand different drugs, and I said it in a fit of anger and vengeance. But, I do, very much, want to spend the rest of my life with you. I know you think it's too early for me to know that, and I know you think it's too soon to ask..."

"Did I say that?" she asked, raising her eyebrow. It was the only part of her body that didn't hurt when she moved it.

Elliot shook his head and shrugged. "Well, no, but..."

"Are you a mind reader? A psychologist?" Olivia asked.

He was taken aback, shocked. "No, but I just..."

"Then how the hell do you know what I think?" she asked, sounding more like herself, with that classic, man-weakening smirk. Elliot was silent. "I think," she began, "That you should ask whenever you feel the desire to ask, if the moment's right, as long as the girl being asked _isn't_ on a morphine drip," she said with an eye roll and a grin. "I also think that you can absolutely tell if you want to be with a person forever in a short amount of time. Hell, it took us, what, one night?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. "One night, seven years, and five months, actually."

Olivia's eyes widened. "El, we weren't even..."

"But, I was in love with you the whole fucking time," he said, not letting her finish her sentence. "And you can't tell me you don't feel the same way, Liv."

"I do," she said, smiling. She yawned. "I thought it was impulsive and honest, by the way. If I hadn't just come out of surgery, I probably would have given you an impulsive and honest answer."

Elliot helped her scoot over, then climbed into the bed with her, being careful not to tangle himself up in her IV or hit any sore spots. She yawned again as her eyes drifted shut. He linked her hand with hers again, and put Alfie on her other side. He kissed her, sweetly, and ran a hand through her hair. "So, what would you have said?" She was silent. "Liv? Baby?" He brushed her hair out of her eyes and chuckled. "Of course, you're asleep." He rested his forehead against hers and shut his eyes, and just before he drifted off, he heard her whisper, "Yes."

* * *

"Don, you don't have any idea what you're asking me to do." Ed Tucker looked across at the SVU Captain and crossed his arms.

Cragen folded his and glared even harder. "Yes, I do. Their case files are all right there. I told you what I know, and I'm prepared to tell anyone who'll listen that I, the damn C.O. , didn't know anything about they're relationship for five goddamn months. They have not done a damn thing..."

Tucker snapped. "I don't care! You're asking me to break every rule in the book for two insignificant..."

"Insignificant? Our arrest-conviction stats have gone up eighty percent since Benson got here, and Stabler has never been more...stable in the two years I've known him than he's been with Benson as his partner. They're the best team this city has ever seen, Ed! I could have lied about it, I could have ignored it! I split them up and she almost died!" Cragen yelled.

"Don," Tucker said with a smug grin. "You'll have an answer on Monday. If things go your way, don't think it isn't going to cost you."

**A/N: I love Alfie =) If you'd like more, please review and lemme know!!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Olivia can't work for a bit, and she ain't happy...but Elliot has a surprise for her! What does Tucker decide? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. Storyline, dialogue, narrative and originality belong to TStabler©**

Elliot helped an achy and grumpy Olivia through the door of her new house, the house they would now share, and tried to keep the kids, who now thought of her as "Momma" at bay. "Guys," he said, "Momma's a little sore, she can't play with you, or hug you, yet. She's still hurt. Dickie, back up, kiddo, we have to get upstairs," he said, in a soft, gentle way.

"More stairs?" Olivia said, a hint of fear in her voice, as she gripped Alfie the Bear in one hand. It hurt to stand up, and it hurt to breathe, it was killing her to climb the stairs.

Elliot, carefully, slowly picked her up and cradled her in his arms, as flat as he could. "Better?" he asked, winking at her.

It had taken her by surprise, much like everything else he'd done in the last few days. She simply nodded. Elliot carried her up the stairs and kicked the door to his bedroom open, and placed the woman in his arms delicately in the middle of the bed. He pulled the covers over her, leaned in, kissed her and said, "I'll be right back."

As he left, Olivia could feel her lips tingle. The man did strange things to her, that was certain. She looked around at the bedroom, half expecting to see constant reminders of his life with his ex-wife, but what she saw almost made her cry. Her dresser, which, by some miracle, matched his, was up against the far wall, mingling with the rest of the furniture. The photos that were framed on the wall were not of Elliot and Kathy, but of her and Elliot, but she had no idea when they'd been taken. There was even one of her and the kids standing over the bucket of fish from their weekend upstate. To look at this room, one would never know that she didn't belong here.

"I'm back," she head him say, breaking her from her thoughts. "Frankie's here. He's taking the kids shopping. They want to buy junk food and flowers for you, and they're picking up something greasy, cheesy and crunchy for dinner," he laughed.

Olivia smiled, a small grin, and nodded.

"Here," Elliot said, holding out a glass and his hand, "You have to take these every three hours." He sat on the bed, watched as she took them, took the glass from her, set it down on the end table, and flattened himself out next to her. He looped an arm around her neck and shoulders and snuggled close to her, pressing a light kiss to her neck. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I got shot three times," she quipped, with a chuckle. "You don't have to..."

Elliot stopped her. "Hold it right there, woman. I do, too, have to take care of you. And I'm going to. You can't move without hurting, and Cragen ordered you to take two weeks off to recover, even though the doctor would clear you after a few days, so you're going to do that."

"I'm going to pull my hair out! El, what am I supposed to do, here, alone, in bed, for two weeks?" she asked, her eyes filling with a mix of self-pity and anger.

"No one said you were gonna be alone, Liv," Elliot said with a smile.

Olivia chuckled. "Okay, but I'm not gonna be in any kind of shape to entertain two four-year-olds. Aren't they going to day care anyway?"

"Yeah, they are," Elliot laughed. "Liv, I'm staying home with you."

Olivia looked at him and smirked, grabbing his chin and squeezing a bit. "What?" she asked. "You're taking time off to..."

He stopped her talking with a warm, wet kiss. "I am. Don't argue with me." He moved in to kiss her again, every hair on her body stood up completely straight, her heard pounded. This was what his kisses did to her. She reached her hand up to run it through his hair as he kissed her, pulling him closer and he complied, scooting toward her, gently running his hand over her sore body. He was using the lightest touch he could, and she still felt like her body was on fire. She pulled away, breathy and smiling. "El," she said, "We can't."

"I know that, baby. Who said we were going to? The doctor said not for a week, and that's _only_ because you're a fast healer. He didn't say I couldn't kiss you," Elliot said, going in for another delicate kiss. "Or, touch you," he said with a grin, sliding his hand over her leg.

"But," Olivia said, with a chuckle, "I want to, El. I'm going to want to. This week is gonna suck."

Elliot looked at her with an evil smirk. "Ah, yes. But, _next_ week is going to blow your mind, baby." He pressed his lips to hers, licked her bottom lip lightly, seeking entrance to her mouth, which she gladly gave. It was amazing, the physical feelings and pure emotions that could arise from kissing her. He knew the moment their lips first touched, all those years ago, that he'd never be able to live without her. He'd told her that, many times. As they kissed, and touched, on their bed, the wheels turned in his head, the gears squeaking together to find the perfect way to make sure she knew, when the time came, that he was dead serious.

* * *

"All right, Munch, Fin," Cragen said, loudly, stepping out from his office into the bullpen. "We're shorthanded for the next two weeks. Since _someone_ let Benson get shot three fucking times, her real partner feels responsible. Stabler's taking the time off to make sure she's following the doctor's orders."

Fin huffed. "Cap! Man, I feel like shit already, can you not keep reminding me that I wasn't watchin' her back?"

"No," Cragen said snidely. He knew blaming Fin was wrong, but he blamed himself, too, and was going to pay for it, dearly, as soon as Ed Tucker came a'calling. "For the next two weeks, every call that comes in is yours. I hope you both have access to a lot of caffeine!" He turned to hand them new files, and that's when he saw Tucker, the bastard himself, walking in, smirking.

"Don, a moment?" Tucker asked, smoothing out his tie.

Cragen thrust the folders into Fin's hands. "Background checks on all four of 'em, now!" he ordered, then he turned again and stepped over to Tucker. "Ed," he said, "My office."

The two men entered the space and closed the door. Tucker heaved a satisfied sigh, and leaned back into the leather chair closest to the door. He put his feet up on the captain's desk, silently challenging Cragen to make him move. "Don," he said. "I've reached a decision. Now, before I tell you, one way or the other, I just wanna know. You say they do not, in any way, act like a couple around the precinct? No one who comes in, perp, lawyer or otherwise would know they're together?"

"Absolutely not," Cragen said. "Munch and Fin overheard a private conversation and I already told you how I found out. They've been hiding this for months, Ed. No one had any fucking clue."

Tucker nodded with a smug grin. "If you can be sure it'll stay that way, Stabler can have his little partner back. But, like I said, it'll cost you."

Cragen sighed, squeezed the bridge of his nose, and spat, "What do you want, Tucker?"

"No more covering his ass, like you've done for the last year. I know he's still a pet of yours, but his temper has gotten him in a lot of hot water, and there are way more incidents I'm aware of than there are in his jacket. He's used his last 'get out of shit free' card, Don. Anger management classes for two months, or weekly therapy for a year, his choice. As for her, she's new, she's a woman, she doesn't belong here as it is. I don't want you babying her, Don. Don't be sensitive or easy on the lady. She wants to play with the big boys, she gets treated like one. Got it? Oh, and why isn't her, uh, personal stake in Special Victims public knowledge?"

Cragen, fuming, couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Because it's no one else's business, Ed!"

"I think it is, Don. As soon as her tight, little ass heals, she gets to lead an NYPD-SVU wide seminar on the mental state of rape victims, chiefly focusing on the effect on the children of rape victims. She's a product of a rape, right? She'll be hailed as a fucking humanitarian and the press will eat it up. IAB will be flagged as sensitive for supporting her, Manhattan SVU will be in the news as the unit who can most closely relate to their victims and she will be practically famous. The face of Special Victims," Ed wiggled his eyebrows, satisfied.

"You son of a bitch," Cragen blared through gritted teeth. "I'm not making her do that. She can't even talk to _herself_ about it, let alone every SVU detective in the city. That's absurd, Ed. Anything else, anything less...heartbreaking?"

Tucker chuckled. "No, Don. Those are the stipulations. You don't comply, they don't get to stay together, you have two pissy detectives on your hands. One of whom, I really don't wanna see pissy. She might whine, or cry."

"Fine," Cragen said, sharply. "Get out."

Tucker rose out of his seat and smirked, holding out his hand. "It was a pleasure doing business with you, Don. Next time two of your detectives can't control their damn hormones, I won't be so nice. Tell Stabler to keep it in his pants with his next partner."

Cragen folded his arms and stopped Tucker before he left. "What the hell do you mean? What makes you think Benson...you think forcing her to do this is gonna make her quit?"

Ed Tucker turned around and grinned smugly at Cragen. "Oh, Don, I'm counting on it."

**A/N: What does Tucker have against Olivia? How will they handle those requests? Review and I'll tell you =) Thank you for reading! **


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Do Olivia and Elliot give in gracefully to Tucker's demands, or are those anger management truly necessary? And why does Tucker hate Olivia?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns characters and Law and Order: SVU. TStabler©, that's me, owns the story, plot, narrative and dialogue.**

Two weeks, for Olivia, flew by quickly. A week of being in pain and pampered by Elliot, followed by a week of non-stop, intense, passionate and powerful love-making to make up for lost time. Sure, she was sore and, at times, it hurt like a bitch, but she wasn't about to tell him that. She needed him way too much. He was in the middle of thrusting into her, she was in the middle of ignoring the pain in her side, and they were both in the middle of a brutally severe orgasm. Thank God the kids were with their uncle tonight, as they had been all week, because they'd be pretty damn scared of the noises coming from their father's room.

"Holy shit," Olivia gasped as Elliot finally rolled off of her. "Absoultely phenominal, baby."

He pulled her close and nodded into her neck, making a grunting noise which she assumed meant he agreed. "We have to be at work in three hours and I don't remember when the last time we slept was, we should probably do that," he mumbled, pressing light kisses over her back and shoulders. "Sleep."

Olivia nodded, still struggling to breathe, and tried to find a position that didn't make her back and shoulder feel like they were on fire. Once she did, she fell into a deep sleep, pressed up against Elliot, listening to his heartbeat.

* * *

"Hey, Benson!" Munch practically yelled. "Welcome back!" He threw red and blue confetti over her head as she walked into the bullpen, and blew into a noisemaker.

Olivia chuckled. "Happy New Year to you, too, Munch," she joked. She brushed the confetti off of her as she made her way over to her desk.

Fin looked at her, sheepishly. "How ya feelin', Baby-Girl?"

"Better. Much better," she said with a nod, but her left hand absently rolled over her side, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

Fin shook his head and blinked at her. "I'm so..."

"Don't, Fin. Just tell me we got the prick who shot me, and tell me he is somewhere where I can go kick his ass."

Fin smirked. "That's our Benson. I shot him as soon as I turned around, but you can't kick his ass, Baby-Girl. He's in the hospital wing at Rikers. I shot him a few times, and he can't move his legs. He did say that, uh, he was paid. That call was a set-up. He was hoping that it would be you and Stabler, since the hit was for both of you. he was annoyed when I showed up, but he got you. He won't give up who paid him, though."

"Oh, nice. Good to know I'm worth something to somebody," she quipped, sipping her coffee again.

Elliot raised an eyebrow. He wanted to tell her, right there, that she was worth everything to him, but they had sworn to keep their relationship at work strictly professional. "Okay, so, I guess I'm with Munch, again?" Elliot rubbed his forehead, sipped the coffee Olivia had insisted she pay for, and dreaded sending her back out in the field with Fin.

"Actually," Cragen said, smirking. "If you two would join me in my office, we could talk about that."

Elliot and Olivia followed Cragen into his office and sat, side-by-side, in the leather chairs and waited for him to sit behind his desk. "What's up, Cap?" Elliot asked.

"Ed Tucker came to see me. He has agreed to let you two stay together, professionally, despite your personal involvement," he held up a hand, stopping them from getting too excited. "Hold on! There are some...conditions."

"Done," Elliot said, quickly.

Cragen sighed. "You won't say that when I tell you what they are. Just sit, and listen, and stop jumping the gun, okay? That's one of the reasons _you're_ little condition even exists, Stabler."

Cragen reiterated Tucker's stipulations and, as expected, his detectives reacted accordingly.

"Therapy? I don't fucking need therapy!" Elliot hit the wall behind him, and yelled, "Where the hell does that ruddy motherfucker get off telling me I need anger management classes?" He turned and fumed at Cragen. "No way in hell, over my dead body, is Liv reliving her traumatizing childhood and telling her mother's damn story to a bunch of wannabe Special Victim's detectives. She is not going through that, and Tucker better have a damn good reason for his sudden loss of his sense of reality, like severe brain damage. If he doesn't, I'll give it to him!"

"So, anger management, then?" Olivia said, raising an eyebrow.

He turned to Olivia, his anger fading immediately, something that surprised Cragen, and he wrapped his arms around her. "I don't wanna lose you, and I don't trust anyone else with you, but I don't want you going through..."

"I can do it," she said, coldly. "I, apparently, have no choice. I'm not quitting over this, and I'm not giving Tucker the satisfaction of putting up a fight and being, what did he say? A whiny-cry-baby-little-girl, or something?"

"Something like that," Cragen said, nodding. "If you're both sure about this, you'll need to tell him, sign the appropriate forms and, Elliot, your classes start next week. Olivia, you're giving that seminar on the fifteenth."

Olivia's eyes widened. "That's in..."

"Two weeks. Yeah. Tucker's an ass, we know that," Cragen said. "I'll call him, tell him to bring the paperwork. For now, you two have a vic, Mercy General. Go do your job."

* * *

When they got back, statement in hand and rape kit dropped off at Warner's, Tucker was waiting for them in the conference room. Cragen gave them the heads up, and they walked in, trying to look as accommodating as possible. Elliot stepped up and shook his hand, Olivia waved politely from her corner, remaining, Elliot noticed, far away from him. "Thanks for agreeing to these terms so quickly," Tucker said, "Both of you." He looked suspiciously at Olivia. "You surprised me, Benson. I thought for sure this would have made you..."

"You thought wrong, Tucker," she said, trying to stay polite, with a soft smile on her face.

"Apparently," Ed said, smirking. "So, Stabler, you've chosen the two months of anger management classes, which you need, greatly. Fill this out, sign it, and you start next week."

Elliot took the form, begrudgingly, and looked up at Tucker. "Okay, I get the anger thing, I know I'm a hot-head, this makes sense. But, what do you have against Liv?"

"Liv? That's cute, Benson. You haven't tried to break _his_ arm for giving you a nickname, have you?"

"He called me 'pumpkin' once, I almost broke his hand. He'll never do that again," she said, gritting her teeth. They were getting perilously close to digging up some long buried past, and she wasn't ready to go there. Not with Elliot in the room.

Tucker laughed. "Some things never change. Let's just say, Stabler, that Benson and I go way back, and she didn't belong with the boys then, she doesn't belong with them now. If she wants to fit in with the fellas, she's gotta earn it. She also has to understand that I am her superior now, no one ahead of me, and she has to do what I tell her to do, whether she likes it or not. Not like last time, where she got away with saying no."

"_She_ is still in the room," Olivia said, "And she isn't doing this because you told her to, you asshole. I'm doing it because I love my job, and I can't work with..." she paused as her hand shot to her side. "Ow," she seethed.

"Liv!" Elliot cried as he ran over to her.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to shove him away.

Tucker looked concerned, too, and walked over. "Olivia, are you sure you're okay?"

She nodded. "I got shot, Ed. It's gonna hurt for a while. I just..." she stopped, blinked a few times, and wobbled. "Need to sit down."

"Get her some water," Elliot told Tucker, and surprisingly, Ed left the room, without hesitation. Elliot supported her as he walked her to a chair and got her to sit. "Baby, are you sure you're..."

"I'm fine," she said, nodding. "It was a hit to the kidney, El. The doctor said to expect sharp pains and dizzy spells for a while. Look, you should know, um, Tucker, while I was in the academy he was one of the sergeants in my corps, and he kind of wanted..."

Tucker came back in with a bottle of water and handed it to Elliot, who promptly took Olivia's pills out of his pocket. "Here, baby," he said, handing them to her and opening the water. "Take 'em."

She did, and washed them down with half the bottle of water. She nodded her thanks to Tucker. "Like I was saying," she said, "I can't work another partner. If you really want me to put myself through hell, again, I will. He's worth it."

Tucker nodded. "I see that, Olivia. I gotta tell ya, Stabler, I thought, when Cragen told me about you two, that you were just using her for..."

"Sex?" Elliot said, furrowing his brow. "Tucker, you don't anything about me and Liv. you don't know how we started, _when_ we started or what she _means_ to me. If all I wanted was sex, I'd still be married."

"Ouch," said Olivia, smirking.

Elliot shrugged. "It's the truth, Liv. If you weren't such a huge part of me, and all I wanted was a warm body, and if my feelings didn't matter, I would have just put up with her shit" Elliot pushed up his sleeves and stood up, still keeping his hand on Olivia's shoulder.

"Stabler, is that a Marine tattoo?" Tucker asked. "You were a Marine?"

"Yeah," Elliot said. "Eagle, globe and anchor," he said, slapping the ink. "Semper Fi."

Tucker folded his arms and a sudden realization crossed his face. "Just out of curiosity, how long_ have_ you two known each other? How long has this been going on?"

Olivia went pale. She knew why he was asking. "Almost eight years," she said. "But there was a pretty big gap in there, somewhere," she added with a quick wave of her hand.

"You...weren't lying to me," Tucker said, looking at Olivia.

She shook her head. "No, I wasn't. But, you were just as much of a pompous ass then as you are now, so of course you didn't believe me," she said. "Give me the form, schedule the time for the seminar..."

"No," Tucker said, rising. He smirked. "I'll think of something else. Just, uh, keep your calendar clear for a while, don't schedule any long vacations." Tucker nodded at both of them and walked out.

"Okay," Elliot said, confused. "Explain."

"He wanted me to sleep with him. He was in my corps, even though he was a third year and I was a first. He kept calling me 'rookie', I got tired of it so I grabbed him and I almost broke his arm. After that, he told me that since I was a woman, the only one in my corps, actually, he had a right to 'claim' me. As a sergeant, an older guy, he told me I had to do what he said, but I, uh," she chuckled. "I punched him in the face, then told him my boyfriend was a Marine and he would kick his ass. Then I swore I would tell the C. O what he did, sexual harassment claims would be filed and his career would be down the drain if he didn't back the fuck off. He promised, after his vision came back, that he would find a way to make my life hell one day. He'd show me that women just didn't belong in the field with the big boys."

"You do realize this means that I have to kick his ass, right?" Elliot said with a chuckle.

She grabbed Elliot's hand and pulled his arm toward her, tracing the outline of the Marine's emblem with her finger. "Not really, El. He never did believe that I had a boyfriend in the Marines."

"You didn't," Elliot said, smirking. "Not really."

"Hey, I had an amazing night with one back in college, so I used him. I used _you_, El. Tucker'll never figure it out," Olivia said, getting up out of the chair.

"I still wanna kick his ass," Elliot said, wrapping his arms around Olivia. "Nobody hurts you and gets away with it, baby."

Olivia smiled warmly at him and gave him a quick, but passionate, kiss. As they walked back into the bullpen, she couldn't help but wonder what Tucker had in store for her now, and she couldn't help but be ready for it.

**A/N: Hmm...so that's why Tucker was such a dumbass. What's Elliot gonna do about it? Reviews are the keys to my heart, ya'll. Love you!**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: A night out with the fellas turns into a night of defending honor, badges and integrity. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

"Okay," Elliot said, raising a shot glass. "In honor of Fin's birthday, I'll do this, but I hate this shit."

Everyone chuckled as they threw back their shots of whiskey. The only one who didn't shudder afterward was Olivia. She actually signaled the bartender for another round, with a smile. "Jack," she said, winking at the barman. She made him blush.

"Woah, Baby-Girl," yelled Fin. "Jack Daniels? You shoot the JD?" he asked, then he looked at Elliot. "Man, you gotta keep her."

Elliot laughed. "I intend to," he said, wrapping his arms around her. It felt really good to be with her, not have to hide from anyone, and be a real couple. Elliot smiled as he leaned over and gave Olivia a whiskey-flavored kiss, totally comfortable with their friends. They didn't notice the uninvited guest, narrowing his eyes at them as they were wrapped up in their kiss.

"How cute," the voice from the stool next to Olivia chirped.

Elliot smirked as he kissed Olivia, but didn't pull away. He pulled her closer. He deepened the kiss. He made her moan. And then he pulled away, and looked up at the man. "Something we can help you with, Tucker?"

"How was your first class? Is your anger all managed, and what not?" Ed said, dipping a beer.

Elliot scoffed. "Actually, the advisor told me to harness my anger and channel it into a different kind of energy. He gave me several interesting options. I chose sexual energy."

Olivia hid her face in her hands. She knew what this was about to become and she didn't want to be caught in the middle of a pissing contest. She had to snicker, though. Angry sex with Elliot was amazing.

"So, how did Kathy handle knowing you were cheating on her the entire time you were married, Stabler?" Tucker grinned, then looked at Elliot who was fuming. "She doesn't know?"

Elliot ground his teeth and clenched his jaw, trying to think of the many, pleasurable ways his anger could be used later, in bed, with Olivia. "Not a whole lot she can do about it, now. We had the marriage annulled and I got my kids. What's the point, Tucker?"

Ed smirked. "Well, if you were Olivia's Marine boyfriend, while she was in the New York Police Academy, that means you were already out of the service, in the academy yourself, married, with a couple of kids. That's a heartbreaking scenario, because if Kathy had no idea then Olivia had..."

"I knew, Ed," Olivia said, smugly, with a hint of seduction in her voice. "I knew he was married the moment we met. He was wearing a ring, after all. I just, uh, didn't really care."

Ed's face fell. He thought outing Elliot as a cheater, even though he was technically wrong, would piss her off, royally. "Oh, well, then..."

"Yeah, so just stop trying to get us mad at each other, here, okay?" Elliot gruffed. "I'm taking the damn classes, you're not gonna get what you want."

Ed stood from his spot by the bar and stepped closer to Elliot. "You know you can't hold it back, Stabler. You're a born barbarian. Always the first to punch, or yell, or threaten. And this little girl," he said running a hand down Olivia's shoulder, "She's just along for the ride, isn't she? You'll get sick of her, like you got sick of Kathy, and who's gonna be there to pick up the broken, shattered, whiny, little pieces?"

Elliot was about to throw a punch. "Stop it, Ed!" Olivia yelled, knowing that he pushing all the right buttons.

Ed turned on Olivia, then. "You like that phrase, don't you? 'Stop it, Ed.' You used to say that to me all the time, Benson. How much does your boyfriend know, huh? Did you tell him everything, or did you leave out some of the more, uh, exciting details? Well, they were exciting for me. You were, as I remember, uncooperative."

"Son of a bitch," she muttered, then she pushed her way toward the women's bathroom.

Tucker laughed. "Looks like she has much shorter tolerance for me than you do, Stabler. Be careful," he said. "She bites." He chugged back a swing of his beer and walked away.

Olivia was coming out of the bathroom, calming down, when she was suddenly yanked into a dark corner. Tucker pulled Olivia toward him, roughly, and covered her mouth with his hand, tightly. "You won't say anything about this to Stabler. I'm not gonna hurt you. Besides, you can't touch me. I'm IAB, remember?" He leaned closer, his lips were only a centimeter away from her face. "I'm the top of the fucking food chain, now, bitch. No one's gonna believe you, there won't be an investigation, there won't even be a single person in any unit, not even your own, that will take your complaint seriously." He snaked his free hand over her chest and squeezed her breast. "You want to stay with him, baby? You want to be his little tag-along, side-kick? Then _I'm_ your new consequence. You asked what you had to do, the answer's _me_." He slid his hand over to the front of her pants and began unzipping them. "Right here, right now, and you're not gonna fight me off this time. You're not gonna fucking stop me this time. I'm finally gonna get what I have wanted for the last four years," Tucker said, bitterly, pulling her slacks over her waist. "Stop struggling, Olivia, or I'll change my mind, and I will hurt you."

Olivia kicked, wiggled, tried to bite his hand, it only made him more excited. Her muffled protests were turning him on and the wriggling of her body was making his crazy. He was so wrapped up in trying to work his hand into her panties, that he didn't notice the two arms reaching for him.

Elliot threw Tucker against the far wall as Fin and Munch pulled Olivia out of the corner. Olivia clutched onto Fin, trying to control her breathing, as she watched Elliot punch Tucker, many times, in the face and stomach.

"You will never fucking touch her again," Elliot spat, forcing blow after blow into Tucker's already weak and beaten body. Tucker tried to take a swing at Elliot, but he missed, horribly, and only ended up facing the wall.

This was the moment, Olivia thought, where Elliot would become his father. She had no desire to stop him. But, she realized, Tucker would be the reason he lost everything. She couldn't let that happen. Still shaken up, scared as she watched her boyfriend kicking the life out of Ed Tucker, she found her voice.

"Elliot," she said. It was soft. It was pleading.

He turned, sharply, immediately stopping his attack on Tucker, and he ran to her. He took her, gratefully, from Fin and wrapped her in his strong embrace.

Olivia was amazed that these arms that she felt so safe in, so love in, were only seconds ago being used to murder a man. Elliot stroked her hair, breathing heavily, not caring that his bloody knuckles were dripping onto her shirt, the floor, and his clothes. "Baby, God, baby, did he hurt you?" he asked, in a hushed panic.

"No," Olivia said, firmly. "Never has, never will."

"I love you," Elliot said, pressing sweet kisses into her hair. "Thanks for stopping me, again." He caressed her back and held her tighter.

"I almost didn't," Olivia admitted.

Cragen stood by with another IAB official, waiting to arrest Tucker, but they had to peel him off the floor first. Tucker was wrong. Everyone in her unit would believe her. They were all there.

* * *

Olivia had given a full statement, starting from her first year at the academy, and was exhausted by the time Elliot took her home. She took a quick shower and pulled on one of Elliot's tee-shirts, then crawled into their bed.

Elliot rolled over and pulled her close. "Hey," she said. "You okay, baby?"

"Yeah," she said, softly. "Just tired."

"I love you, Liv," he said, kissing the back of her head.

Olivia rolled over to face him and wrapped her arms around him. "I love you, too, El." He was stroking her hair, and her back, trying to calm her into a peaceful sleep. He then ran his hands up and down her legs, slowly caressing every curve of her body as she rested against him. He was trying to relax her, but it did the opposite. She tilted her head up and pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. Then three more, then she lingered for a moment and deepened the kiss, trying to wrap herself around him.

"Liv," he said. "Baby, after what happened, we don't have to..."

"I want to, El. I can't go a single night without making love to you. That week I couldn't was unbearable, El." She pulled his pajama bottoms down to his knees and then used her legs and feet to get them the rest of the way off. "Make love to me," she whispered. She climbed on top of him and kissed him, fiercely, feeling him hard and ready against her thigh. "You were there tonight, El, thank God you were there," she said as she pulled the tee shirt over her head.

"I'm always gonna be there for you, baby. I'll always protect you," he said as he caressed her nipples with his open palms. "Forever."

Olivia guided him into her and rocked her hips, gently, as her eyes fluttered closed. Elliot closed his hands around her breasts and squeezed lightly as he moaned, watching Olivia ride him, and he knew that this was the most erotic sight he'd ever seen. "Oh, God, Liv," he panted. He slid his hands around her and pulled her down to him, kissing her as he began to thrust upward into her, deeply and soundly, loving the little noises she made. The kids were all home, and asleep, so they were back to being incredibly quiet, but quiet noises were the most passionate. They proved that she had to control herself, and he had to control himself, when they were both _losing_ control.

She scratched his shoulders and chest and he gripped her hair as they kissed and moved together, meeting each other at every thrust. He felt her tighten like shrink-wrap, and he kept moving upward, into her, and she gasped. He felt her start to pulsate around him and he gave three more hard, deep, thrusts and she dug her nails into his shoulders, screaming on a whisper into his mouth. He shivered as he spilled into her, holding her for dear life, rubbing her back and making their kiss even deeper.

As they were coming down from their blissful high, they heard the buzz from Olivia's phone. It was on vibrate on the bedside table. Elliot reached over, opened it and held it to her ear. "Benson," she said, trying to sound less like someone who just had mind-blowing sex. "Oh, my God. Where? Is she...oh, my God. We'll be right there." She practically jumped off of Elliot and scrambled to get dressed.

"Baby, what is it?" Elliot asked, getting out of the bed.

"Call Frankie, we need him to watch the kids. My mom...she...she fell and they..." she stopped, shook her head and refused to say anything else. They dressed quickly and left as soon as Frankie showed up. Neither one of them was ready for what they were about to face. But, at least they would face it together.

**A/N: Oh, no! Serena go bye-bye? Olivia and Elliot will be okay, right? Review! **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: What happened to Serena? Will Olivia let Elliot help her through it or will she push him away?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

"She's been sitting there for an hour," Elliot said, running a hand through his hair. "She won't talk to anyone. I think there are just too many people here, ya know?"

Cragen nodded. "She needs time, Stabler. It's understandable. This was a pretty big shock, and I am sorry we couldn't call her to the scene. I didn't want her to see her mother like that."

"She told me, once, that she always expected this phone call. She just never expected to _care _when she got it," Elliot said, folding his arms. "Do we need to talk to anyone? Sign anything? I know she's gotta make arrangements…"

"Elliot, relax, okay," Cragen said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Go sit with her, I'll handle things until she's ready."

Elliot walked over to the chair Olivia was sitting in and sat in the one next to her. The bullpen looked so different from the witness chairs. He didn't say anything to her; he just reached over and took her hand, squeezing lightly.

She squeezed back, hard. She didn't know why she was this upset. She hated the woman with every fiber of her being. She couldn't understand why her emotions were suddenly conflicting. She had come to terms with the eventual, accidental, drunken death of her mother years ago. She dealt with the fact that she'd be ready when the call came, and now part of her wanted to mourn the loss of the woman who had done nothing but abuse her for twenty-eight years. Part of her wanted to cry, part of her wanted to scream and throw things and part of her wanted throw a fucking party.

"What?" she asked, in response to absolutely nothing.

Elliot looked at her and his heart broke. "Nothing," he whispered. "I didn't say anything."

"Oh," she whispered back. "Could you?" She wanted the pleasant distraction of conversation. She wanted to hear his voice.

"I, uh, don't...Liv, baby," he stuttered. "Are you, um, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Olivia replied, opening her eyes wider and nodding, but not looking at him. "I'm fine."

Elliot squeezed her hand and pulled her closer, wrapping his other arm around her. "It's okay if you're not, baby. You don't need to be strong or brave or bad-ass right now."

"I am," she said softly, burying her head in his chest. She closed her eyes and inhaled, deeply, breathing him in; his scent calmed her down, soothed her. She whispered into his shoulder, "I'm fine." Her eyes popped open, then, because she almost believed it herself that time.

Cragen walked over and sat on the other side of her, resting a hand on her knee. "Olivia, honey, you can take a few days to..."

"No," she said, shaking her head.

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "Olivia, after last night with Tucker, and now this, just take a few days. I need to know that you're...

Olivia held up a hand, pulling away from Elliot. "I'm okay. And I'm only going to stay that way if I'm here, doing my job. I just took two weeks off, Cap."

"Because you were shot, three times, Liv. This is different," Elliot said.

Olivia shook her head against his chest. "I am fine. I'll be here in the morning."

Cragen nodded, glancing warily at Elliot. "Okay, Benson."

"I have to go talk to Melinda, and, uh, the other...people..." she trailed off as she got up out of her seat and walked away, heading toward a group of officers.

"Stabler, you make sure she stays sane," Cragen ordered. "Take care of her."

Elliot looked directly into his captain's eyes. "Always," he said.

Cragen was taken aback. "You really mean that," he said.

"Yeah, I do," Elliot said, nodding once. He got up, and Cragen watched as Elliot walked up to Olivia, wrapped her in his arms and helped her through the rough conversations she was having. He knew, then, that he would have one hell of a dilemma on his hands, because his two best detectives weren't splitting up anytime soon, romantically or professionally, and the new IAB Chief wouldn't be as "cooperative" as Tucker.

* * *

Munch rose to his feet when Olivia and Elliot walked into the squadroom. "Hey, Benson, I'm sorry about..."

"I'm not, so why should you be?" Olivia interrupted, heading right for the coffee pot.

Fin looked at Elliot, who shook his head, and then asked, "How are you holding..."

She interrupted again. "I'm okay, really, guys. Please, stop asking."

Fin raised his eyebrows and walked over to her. "When's the wake, Baby-Girl? We'd like to go, and help you out with the flowers. We're here for you, you know, if you need anything."

"Service is tonight, funeral's in the morning. Then, maybe, you can all stop treating me like I'm about to break. I'm not," she said, looking into her mug, knowing everyone in the bullpen was staring at her.

Cragen came out of his office, with assignments, silently hoping Olivia had taken the day off. "Stabler," he said, pausing to look at Olivia at his side. He let out a breath. "Benson, are you sure you want to be here right now?"

"I'd rather be here thinking about work than home thinking about my mother," she said, gulping down her coffee.

"Okay," Cragen said with a shrug. "You two have a reported rape. Vic lives on Thirty-Eighth Street. Here," he said, handing Elliot a pink paper. "If you need to go home, Benson..."

"Cap, please!" she yelled. "Enough! Thank you, but I'm fine, really! El, come on," she said slamming her mug down, and heading out of the bullpen. Elliot looked around and sighed before following her out.

The case wasn't that distracting, and it went by too quickly. The vic talked easily and the perp confessed as soon as he was nabbed. Olivia was actually disappointed in the lack of distraction the case provided. The ride back to the house was quiet, and as they dressed for the wake, the silence grew deafening. Elliot thought it best not to try to talk to her, fearing that, no matter what she said, she might actually break.

Elliot left money for Frankie and the kids to order something to eat. They wanted to go, to be there for their "momma," but they were far too young to go to a wake. He and Olivia kissed each child and headed out to the funeral home.

Many of Serena's former students and colleagues showed up, telling Olivia tales of this brilliant, remarkable woman. This lively and happy teacher and bubbly, energetic, sweet friend. Olivia found out that half of the people in Serena's life never even knew she had a daughter, and the other half felt as if they knew Olivia, personally, from the way Serena talked about her. When everyone left, Olivia looked at the coffin, at her mother's lifeless corpse, and wondered who exactly the woman really was.

The next morning brought more of the same. A tremendously quiet Olivia clutched an afraid-to-speak Elliot's hand as the same friendly strangers watched Serena Benson being lowered into the ground. They tossed roses, and shared fond memories. The only one who said nothing was Olivia. She didn't want to ruin the image these people had of her mother. Maybe she was the only person Serena was horrible and abusive toward, after all, the way she always believed.

"I'm ready to go home, El," Olivia said, squeezing his hand.

He smiled at her. It wasn't much, but she had said something. "All right, baby. Let's go," he said, allowing her to lead him toward the car.

She turned back to him and hugged him tightly, stopping their movement. "I love you, El."

"I love you too, Liv," he said. he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Then, they walked the rest of the way to the car and went home, finally taking the day off that they both so desperately needed.

* * *

Elliot woke up in the middle of the night, cold, knowing she was no longer in the bed, wrapped around him the way she usually was. He shot up and looked around, panicking, then leaped off the bed and padded through the house. He finally found her in the backyard, on a swing, staring at the sky. He walked over, gently rested his hands on her shoulders, and sighed. "Don't scare me like that, baby. Why didn't you wake me up?"

Olivia didn't answer. Instead, she said, "It's over, El. All the fighting, the yelling, and the regret. I'll never have to see the way she looked at me, like she hated me, ever again. I'll never have to pick her up from bars in other cities and states and listen to her bullshit explanations of how she got there. She will never..." she paused, letting the unshed tears from the last three days fall, "She will never tell me she loves me. She never has and she never will. She'll never see me get married. She will never meet her grandchildren. She will never know, ever, that despite all the shit she's done, how much she hurt me, the hell she put me through, and how much I hated her...that I loved her."

"Liv," he said, rubbing her shoulders. "She knows."

"No," Olivia said. "She doesn't. El, I didn't tell her, not once. She hit me, I hit her back. She yelled at me, I yelled back. That was our relationship. The last time I saw her, when I took her home from the hospital, she was actually sober. She looked at me with clear eyes and smiled and said, 'Thank you, Livvie.' She hasn't called me 'Livvie' since i was in high school. I should have told her I loved her, then, so she would at least know and remember, but..." Olivia wiped her eyes, as if she only just realized she was crying. "I knew she wouldn't say it back, so I just said, 'You're welcome, Mom,' and gave her a hug. I thought about it, all day, and drove back after work. It had only been eight hours, but she was trashed when I got there. The second I walked in, she yelled at me to get out. I missed my chance."

Elliot walked around to the front of the swing, held Olivia's face in his hands, wiped away her tears and said, "Baby, trust me, she knew you loved her. You did everything you possibly could for her. You were the best daughter you could have been to her. She knew you loved her, and if she didn't, she knows now." He pulled her up off of the swing and once his arms wrapped around her, she collapsed into them, crying harder. Elliot held her close, and soothed her, but he didn't tell her to shush or calm down.

"It's okay to let go, Liv," he whispered to her. And that's exactly what she did.

**A/N: Will things get back to normal now? I tried to handle this as true to character as possible. Reviews? **


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Their day off is spent cleaning out Serena's apartment and handling the kids. What will their "noche" off bring?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and original characters, belong to TStabler©**

"Wow, she really hid every trace of my existence," Olivia said, digging out the photo albums from a locked cabinet. She put them in one of the boxes labeled "Keep" and sifted through the rest of the drawers. She found a silver locket, lifted it into her hands and stroked the detailing on the oval shaped face. She didn't open it. She knew what was inside; she just slipped it into her pocket and continued digging. "Guess she couldn't even stand to look at pictures of me."

Elliot picked up the top album from the pile, smirking, and opened it carefully. He gasped at the sheer beauty of the photos he came across in its pages. Olivia's high school years were chronicled, albeit sporadically, from her freshman orientation to her graduation. His breath hitched when he turned to a page with a picture of her in a gorgeous, violet dress with a rather obnoxious looking guy. "Liv, you look so beautiful in this picture. But, who's this?" he asked.

She turned, sharply. "Don't look at those! Why are you..." she paused and sighed, looking at the picture. "He was the guy who was gonna take me to the prom."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "What do you mean, you were going to go with him? Isn't this your prom..."

"No," she interrupted. "That was taken before the prom. He came to pick me up and we took pictures. We were about to leave and then my mother, who was drunk, started screaming. She panicked. She told me I couldn't go because he would only try to get me into bed with him when the night was over, and she couldn't let that happen. Then she called him a perverted beast and scared him out of the building."

"Oh," Elliot said, softly. "Well, uh, you still...you looked incredible."

"Thanks. I had to save for eight months to pay for that dress," Olivia said as she pulled the rest of the books out of the cabinet and tossed them into a box marked "donate."

Elliot shut the album and picked up another one. "Do you still have it?"

"The dress? No." Olivia shook her head and flipped through the papers that had been in the cabinet. "I, uh, couldn't stand to look at it after that night. I threw it away."

"Oh, Liv, you were so cute!" Elliot had found the album filled with photos from Olivia's years of dance and piano lessons. There were only a few from each year, when Serena was sober enough to take them. "You took dance lessons?" he asked, looking at a picture of her in a pink tutu.

Olivia laughed. "Oh, my God. Uh, yeah. I started when I was four and danced for ten years. At first, it was an excuse to get out of the apartment, away from her. Ya know? Just to go to classes. I really loved it, though. I thought it would make my mother proud, too, but she only came to, maybe, three recitals."

"Why'd you stop dancing? I bet you were amazing," he said, turning the pages. He saw pictures of her in leotards and costumes, and both her body and her smile got smaller and smaller, until he found the one of her last year of dance. She looked sad, frail. "Liv?"

"That's why," she said, tapping a finger on the photo. "She called me fat, constantly. Told me dancer's needed to be thin and beautiful and that I was neither. So, to shut her up, I stopped eating meat and started running. That picture was taken at the last show she came to, and she showed up drunk. She practically pulled me off the stage and made me watch the other dancers. She told me I would never be like them, that I just didn't have the soul of a dancer."

"You don't," Elliot said, closing the album. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. "You have the soul of a cop."

Olivia smiled at him. "I do," she said. "I think we're done here, El. We just have to find some way to get the furniture out of here and drop off the donation boxes."

Elliot ran his hands up and down her arms and kissed her again. "Okay," he said with a nod. "Fin and Munch could help, but what do you want to do with it all?"

"Uh," she paused and looked around the apartment. "Sell it, give it away, burn it, I really don't care. I just really wanna get outta here, okay?"

"Okay, baby," Elliot said. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her out of the building as she played with the gold cross around her neck.

* * *

"Lizzie, honey, stay in the lines, sweetie. Mr. Bear's ears are not supposed to be purple. Oh! Careful. Now, you're coloring the tablecloth," Olivia said, trying not to laugh.

"Okay, Momma," the little four year old said with a smile. She moved her crayon from the tablecloth to the book, but kept coloring the bear purple. "Grape flavor," she giggled.

Maureen looked up from her homework and tilted her head. "Momma, what's five times nine?"

"Honey, didn't you just learn your five times-tables? You should know that. You wanna count with me?" Olivia asked. Then she held up a finger for each five. "Five, ten, fifteen, twenty...that's four, right?"

"Right." Maureen said. "And eight would be forty. Forty...forty-five! Thanks!"

Elliot stood in the doorway of the dining room, smiling. His kids had a real mother. He was still wrestling with the thoughts playing tug-of-war in his mind. He wanted her to be his wife, he wanted to ask her, really ask her, but he still felt like it was too soon. She said "yes" in the hospital, but that was a hypothetical answer, and he needed to be sure she wouldn't run from him. It took seven years to get her back. Seven years of agony, waiting and praying had led to six months of pure happiness. He never wanted to live without her again.

"Daddy," Dickie said, munching on a banana and coloring with his twin. "Can you color with us?"

Elliot smiled. "Sure, buddy. Up," he said. He sat in Dickie's chair and pulled his son onto his lap. "Oh, a purple bear and a red cat. We are a creative bunch."

Kathleen looked up, then. "Oh! Creative reminded me, parents have to come to the art show at school next week. It's also a meeting with our teachers. I'm only in first grade, so the only project I have in the show is a clay handprint, but next year I get to..."

"Paint a big pine tree and decorate it with real pine cones! Mine will be there," Maureen said happily. "Mrs. Henderson wants to meet you guys."

Olivia looked at Elliot. "Oh, honey, I don't think..."

"We'll be there. Both of us," Elliot said, smiling.

"Yay!" Kathleen cheered. She high-fived her sister as they went back to their homework.

Olivia leaned over and whispered, "Should I really be going to parent events at their school?"

"Liv, yeah, you should. You're their mother now, as far as they're concerned. I plan on keeping it that way," Elliot said, kissing her.

"All right, then," Olivia said with a smile. "Just thought I'd ask." She looked over at the kids and declared, "Okay, guys. Bath time. Maureen, you're first tonight. Upstairs."

The seven year old sighed and scooted off the chair. "Okay," she said, whining.

"The rest of you, go pick out your jammies and a book," Elliot said, putting Dickie down. "We'll see you guys in a few minutes."

The kids ran upstairs and Elliot turned to Olivia. "Baby, you're great with them, you know that? You're so amazing with them, and they love you."

"I love them, too," Olivia said, her fingers absently toying with her cross. "Very much."

"Good," Elliot said, kissing her again. "Let's go put 'em to bed, so we can...go to bed," he said with a wink.

They finished helping all of the kids with their baths, and Olivia sat on the edge of Maureen's bed. She held the book out in front of her and looked over at Kathleen and Lizzie, who shared the room, and held it up. "Is this okay with you?"

Kathleen nodded. "Yeah," she said with a yawn.

"Okay," Olivia said as she smiled and opened the book.

Elliot had finished reading to Dickie, and was on his way to the room he shared with Olivia, when he heard her reading and stopped. He loved the voices she did. He listened at the door with a smile.

Olivia had begun reading in a low, gravelly voice. "Arthur was a mean, old man. A mean old man with a mean, old dog. He lived..."

"Momma, why don't you and Daddy have a wedding picture?" Maureen interrupted.

"Oh, uh, well," Olivia stuttered. "Why are you asking?"

Kathleen yawned again. "We have to bring in family pictures for school to hang up at parents night, and Maureen's teacher said that wedding pictures are good."

"You and Daddy don't have a wedding picture. Why not?" Maureen asked.

Olivia let out a small nervous laugh. "Well, your father and I just, well, we haven't had our wedding, yet. When we do, there will be plenty of pictures."

"What's a wedding?" Lizzie asked.

Elliot took a deep breath as he walked away from the door, and headed into his bedroom, smiling. She said "yet." She wants wedding pictures. With him. He jumped into the shower, thinking about the perfect way to ask, and the perfect ring to get, and the perfect way to make sure she says "yes."

Olivia walked into the room, ten minutes later. She saw him in his towel, standing in front of his dresser, and wrapped her arms around him. She ran a hand through his still-wet hair and breathed deeply as she nuzzled the crook of his neck. "You smell so good," she mumbled, dropping kisses to his back and shoulder.

"Mmm, Liv, baby," he moaned, spinning around. He pulled her close and kissed her. "You do. You smell good. Lavender and peppermint."

She smirked, that smirk that made his senses go completely haywire, and said, "It's actually fresh mint, according to the label." She clutched the towel and pulled, then laughed. "El, you really shouldn't walk around naked. We have kids. Young, impressionable kids."

Elliot laughed. "Yeah, _we_ do." He grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him. "They gotta learn sometime," he said, then pulled her shirt over her head. "They're asleep, right?" he asked, kissing her and caressing her nipples with both hands.

"Yeah, baby," Olivia gasped, softly, kissing him as he trailed his hands down and worked her flannel pants over her hips. She kicked them off and walked with Elliot toward the bed. "Dickie?"

"Like a rock," Elliot said against her skin, launching them onto the mattress. Kissing her, he grappled with the covers until he pulled them over himself and Olivia and shifted, sliding and pushing into her. "Oh, God," he whispered, closing his eyes. He stopped moving; he rested his head against hers and so quietly said, "Oh, God, Liv."

"What?" she whispered, softly, kissing his face and running a hand down his back. "What is it, El?"

Elliot nuzzled her, opening his eyes, and kissed her, movingly. "Being with you just feels so good, so right. Do you even realize how much I love you?"

"I do," Olivia said, kissing him back just as intensely. "I love you. Just as much. If not, more." She looked up into his eyes and he peered back at her. The emotions passing like a conversation between them, silently but loud and clear.

Elliot kissed her, tenderly, and began to move. He made a mental note to find her a ring tomorrow.

**A/N: Will he go through with it, or chicken out? What was in the locket Liv took from her mother's place? Reviews?**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Thank you so much for the incredible response to this story! Here's another "noche" for you all.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story**

"This is so far out of our jurisdiction it's not even funny," Olivia said, pulling into the student lot of Sienna College. "I haven't been here in almost four years."

"I haven't been here in almost eight," Elliot said, smirking. "I think we're just interviewing a friend of the vic, Liv." He got out of the car and looked around, smiling, at the campus in the night. He remembered everything, so vividly, from the first time he was here. "Um, I think we have to go to the Student Union. Third floor, if I'm remembering the call right."

Olivia grinned as she walked up the path to the buildings. "That's where we met, El. That's where they have the Mock-Trials."

"Oh? Really? Cool," he said with a feigned type of surprise. He knew exactly where he was when he met her. He took her hand as they walked down the cobblestone trail leading to the Sarazan building. "You remember the walk we took, Liv? Right down this walkway."

Olivia chuckled. "Yeah. It got so cold, so fast, and you wrapped your arms around me to keep me warm. You were in your uniform and you looked so damn sexy," she said, closing her eyes and shaking her head with a smirk.

"What? I'm not sexy anymore? I think this suit makes me look pretty hot, baby," he said, cockily.

"You're still incredibly sexy, El. But, there was just something about the way you looked in that uniform," she said, biting her lip. "And the way you looked out of it."

"I wasn't wearing my uniform when I got to your room," he said, furrowing his brow.

Olivia laughed. "You weren't wearing much of anything, actually."

"Neither were you, once I got you out of those sweatpants," he said with a chuckle. "Didn't take much sweet talking, huh? Talk about your eyes and your freckles and bam, I had you in the bed," he teased, pulling her closer.

"Ya know, I'd only known you for a day and you noticed the freckles on my nose. I have known people, for years now, who haven't noticed them," Olivia said, pulling her jacket tighter around herself.

Elliot pulled her even closer, by her waist, and wrapped his arms around her, just like he had almost eight years ago. "I memorized every inch of your skin that night."

"We're working, El. Maybe you shouldn't be holding me like this. Not that I'm gonna make you get off of me," she said, snuggling into him.

Elliot chuckled. "Eh, we're not really working. Not yet. Right now, we're just walking."

They got to the Student Union and waited for the elevator. When they got to the third floor and stepped off, Elliot stopped, merely three feet away from the lift doors. "Liv," he called.

She stopped walking down the hall and turned around. "Yeah?"

"We met, formally met, right here. You were standing right here when you threatened to kick my ass for following you," he reminded her. "You shook my hand, and I swear to God, my life ended and began all over again. I was so...shy...around you."

Olivia smiled. "Yeah, I remember. Where is this guy we have to meet? What room?"

Elliot shook his head. "There is no guy, baby. Come here," he said, reaching out a hand to her.

Olivia took his hand, but screwed her face up in confusion. "What do you mean, there's no guy? El, why the hell did we drive all the way out here, then?"

"For this." He pulled her toward him and took a black, velvet box out of his jacket pocket. "That night, Liv, I left my heart with you in your dorm room and it took seven years to get it back. It's been about seven months since I got you back, and I can't be without you, ever again. Seven years and seven months ago, I stood in front of this elevator and had to find the courage, the nerve, and the strength to ask you to take that walk with me. Now, I'm trying to find the courage, nerve, and strength to ask you," he paused as he flipped open the box. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Olivia gasped and a silent tear rolled down each cheek.

"To ask you to marry me," Elliot said, finally opening his eyes. "Will you? Marry me?"

Olivia was silent, smiling, but silent. She opened her mouth, but Elliot cut her off.

"I can't even stand to think about you leaving, Liv, and though you say you won't, I need to know. I need you to promise me, that it's just me, just us, for the rest of our lives." Elliot swiped his eye with the back of his hand. He was crying. "Marry me." It wasn't a question that time.

"El," Olivia said, looking into his eyes. "I'm not going to leave you. I promise you, it's just you, it's just us. It's always been you, El. It always will be. For the rest of our lives."

Elliot smiled and let out a laugh, relieved. "That's a yes, right?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a yes," Olivia said, smiling through her tears.

"Good, because I went to a lot of trouble to get us room, on campus, tonight," Elliot said, slipping the ring on her finger. "And it's all set up, roses and candles, and it would all have gone to waste if you had said 'no'."

Olivia kissed him, deeply, and asked, "They had a room available for guests? What room, El?"

"Yours," he whispered.

* * *

They opened the door to her old dorm room and she gasped. He wasn't kidding. There were rose petals strewn everywhere and the only light, since the room was currently unoccupied and there was no lamp, came from the dozen small candles he had lit around the room. Elliot smiled at the look on her face and whispered into her ear, "Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

"Yeah, a lot of them. One, though, that I think I'm about to relive," she said with a smirk.

Elliot stepped forward, pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "Your eyes are like these big, round cups of hot chocolate with gold glitter floating in it, like sprinkles," he said softly.

Her breath hitched. How the hell did he remember? "El?" she asked, smiling.

Elliot brushed his lips lightly over hers as he slid the blazer off of her body. "You've got three freckles on the left side of your nose that, if you connected them in the right way, look like a heart. And," he ran his thumb over her lips, just like he did all those years ago. "Your mouth, Liv, is perfect. Your smile, baby, could light up Las Vegas for a whole week." He unbuttoned her shirt and, together, they let it drop off of her body.

Olivia pulled off his tie and pushed off his jacket. She peeled off his shirt and raked her nails down his chest. She kissed him and smirked at him as she shook her head, still unable to believe that he remembered everything he had said to her.

Elliot chuckled, trailing his thumb over her lips again. "And that smirk brings me to my goddamn knees, every time I see it. I have been dying to make love to you since we woke up this morning," he said, reaching for the waistline of her pants.

"Are you gonna do it?" Olivia asked, pulling his belt off and tossing it aside. She unzipped his pants, pushed them over his hips and let them drop to the floor. "Or are you just gonna drive me crazy by talking about it?"

Elliot lowered Olivia's pants, and panties, slowly, as if unwrapping a fragile gift. He trickled his fingers up over her body, coming back up, and reached around to her bra. He unclasped it, and let it slide off of her, and he gasped. "Oh, I'm gonna do it," he said, nodding, with a smile.

He pulled her over to him and kissed her, deeply, as he lowered her onto the rose-covered bed. He flattened her out and trailed soft, light kisses down her arms, her chest, over her stomach, down her legs, he licked and kissed his way back up and stopped at her waist. He looked at her, grinned evilly, and looked down. He lightly touched his tongue to her folds and sent one long, deep lick up her slit. She was more aroused than ever, and he was going to enjoy this. He slipped one finger into her as he licked back down. He hand gripped the back of his head and she moaned deeply. As his tongue moved, so did his finger. He added another finger and began to thrust them in and out of her as his lips and tongue continues their assault on her clit. He felt her clench and he stopped.

Olivia groaned in frustration and looked down at him. Her eyes met his and then she knew. He needed her. He wanted her to know that this would happen exactly as it had the last time they were in this room. She smirked, knowing he loved her smirk, and said, "No, the right way. With you. Right?"

Elliot nodded, crawling up her body, and kissed her, groaning in immense pleasure as he pushed himself into her. They saw stars behind their closed eyes and as he stated moving, slowly, into and out of her, he looked down at her neck and saw the gold cross, glittering in the candle light. "You kept your promise, baby," he said, flicking at the chain with his nose.

"So did you," she replied, running a finger over his tattoo. "Oh, God, El," she moaned. "You didn't have to do all of this."

"Wanted to, oh, God, Liv," he cried. "Make it like the first time."

"It's always like the first time, with you. Every night. God, El, baby," she grunted as she gripped onto his back and her own spine arched. "So good. El, God."

Elliot reached across and grabbed her left hand, pulling it up to his face and kissed her ring. "Better than the first time," he said. "I love you, Liv."

"I love you, too, El," she cried. "Holy shit," she yelped.

He moved faster, deeper, trying to make her scream. "Fuck, baby, God," he grunted. He snaked a hand down and brought her leg up, wrapping it around his hips.

"El," she said, "So close."

"Yeah, Liv. God, baby," he breathed. He moved harder. her other leg wound itself around his waist, too, and she met him thrust for thrust. He reached a hand between them and, as he kissed her, he stroked her clit, madly.

She clamped around him and squeezed her legs tightly around his waist, and he, too, lost all control. They cried out each other's names and he slammed into her once more, releasing everything he had inside of her. His lips crashed onto hers, catching her scream, which was still pretty damn loud.

They panted as they held each other and Elliot kissed her sweetly. "You are, and always will be, my life, Liv."

"El," she said. "You're mine. You know you're mine. It all started right here, in this room, one fucking night. Damn."

They chuckled and kissed slowly, calming down. Elliot smiled as he gazed into her eyes. He couldn't wait to tell his kids that she was now, officially, going to be "Momma."

His ex-wife, however, might not be so thrilled when she found out.

**A/N: What, pray tell, might Kathy do? Oh-no! Review if you'd like, and thanks for reading! **


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: The word is out at work, and parents night at the girls' school brings some unexpected surprises.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline, narrative and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"Now, what makes you think the guy's lying?" Olivia asked. "It's perfectly possibly that a man could have been...what the hell are you staring at Munch?"

"Your finger," Munch stated. "That's one honker of a rock, Benson, and as someone who has given out three of them, I know exactly what that is."

Olivia smirked. "It's a ring. I'm glad you became a detective, your powers of observation are astounding."

"It's an engagement ring," Munch clarified. "And, the last time I checked, you were dating Stabler. I _am_ a detective, and my powers of observation _are_ remarkable, so congratulations. Both of you," he said.

Fin popped his head up. "What? You two are tyin' the knot?"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding with a smirk as he read his file. "We are."

"Congrats, guys," Fin said, with a clap.

"Who's being congratulated?" Cragen asked, walking into the bullpen from his office.

Elliot looked up, smiling at his captain. "Olivia and I are...well, uh, we're getting married."

"Oh," Cragen said. He walked back into his office and shut the door.

Olivia furrowed her brow, looked at Elliot and then at Munch and Fin. The room was silent. "He took that rather well," she said.

"Too well," Munch said.

The office door opened again and Cragen walked into the middle of the bullpen. "Wait, what?" he asked, folding his arms.

Chuckles echoed through the room and Elliot walked up to his captain. "I asked Liv to marry me on Saturday, she said yes. We're getting married."

Cragen looked at Olivia, and for the first time in weeks, her eyes were clear and happy. "Congratulations," he said. "I know what you two mean to each other, and you both deserve this." He gave Olivia a hug and shook Elliot's hand. He retreated back into his office and shook his head. This was gonna bring trouble. He knew it.

* * *

The day had gone by quickly, and Elliot and Olivia sped home to get the kids dressed and ready for their parents night at school. The girls all wore different dresses in the same shade of pink. Olivia braided Maureen's hair, pulled Kathleen's into a high ponytail and curled it, and put Lizzie's into pigtails. Elliot and Dickie wore matching outfits, the little boy was wearing a mini-version of his dad's suit. Olivia, at the behest of her future step-daughters, wore a pink dress, but it was a deeper shade. It was strapped and crossed in the back, and flowed loosely under the bust-line, as an empire-waist dress would, but it was elegant and classy. When she stepped out of the bathroom, Elliot gasped.

"Kitten, you look incredible," he told her, kissing her.

Maureen giggled. "Daddy, you'll give Momma your cooties."

"It's okay, Maur, Momma likes my cooties," he told his eldest child. "Okay, Stablers, let's go." He laughed, leading his family out of the house and into their SVU. They drove, listening to Maureen and Kathleen talk about what not to say to their teachers.

"Don't tell them I can read big-girl books, Ms. Anderson will give me extra homework," Kathleen told them.

Maureen piped up with, "Don't tell Mr. Clarkson that Momma's teaching me piano. He'll make me join the band and I really don't want to be a band girl."

Olivia and Elliot promised the wouldn't mention pianos or big-gilr books, and laughed at the girls. They pulled up to the school and the picture-perfect family walked through the parking lot and into the main entrance.

"Mr. Stabler," the principal said, shaking his hand. "A pleasure as always. And this must be your wife. Charmed, Mrs. Stabler."

"Oh," Olivia said, laughing nervously as she shook the man's hand. "We're not.."

"Not being formal tonight. Call me Elliot, this is Olivia," Elliot said, cutting her off. "Liv, honey, this is Ron Calloway, the kids' principal."

Olivia smirked at Elliot and shook her head. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Calloway," she said, turning to him.

"Now, I gotta be honest, Elliot, when the girls told me they had a new mother, I was a little worried about how it would affect their behavior. You often see kids act up, or misbehave a lot when a parent remarries," Calloway told them. "Your girls, however, have been happier than ever and they talk about you two constantly. I am incredibly thrilled and impressed."

Elliot grinned. "Thank you, that's nice to hear," he said, looking down at his smiling daughters. "Okay girls, show Momma and Daddy where your art projects are."

"Oh," Calloway said. "Before you go, I'd like to commend you for inviting your ex-wife. It's remarkable that you've managed to stay on good terms."

"Wait, Kathy's here?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "Where?"

"In the gym," Calloway said. "Oh, excuse me, more parents to welcome."

Olivia shot a worried look at Elliot, grabbed his hand, and took a deep breath. "As your _wife_, I reserve the right to kick your ex-wife's ass," she whispered to him.

Elliot chuckled. "Come on, guys," he said, leading the children into the gym. He looked around, trying to find and avoid Kathy.

"That's mine!" Maureen squealed upon entering. She ran toward a canvas pine tree with several real pine cones glued onto it. "Momma, look! See, Daddy?"

Olivia and Elliot beamed with pride. "Yes, pumpkin, we see it," Olivia said. "It's beautiful." Lizzie tugged on the skirt of her dress, and Olivia bent down to pick her up. When she was upright again, Kathy was standing between her and Elliot.

"Did my daughter just call her 'Momma?" Kathy spat at Elliot, folding her arms.

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said. "Because, she is their mother now, Kathy."

"Excuse me?" Kathy almost yelled, folding her arms.

"Okay," Olivia said, her eyes widening, a nervous smile spreading across her face. "Let's go look at the pretty tissue paper flowers." She ushered the kids over to a table and carried Lizzie away from the eventual yelling.

"Kathy, we are at our daughters' school, and I don't even know how you knew about tonight. I'm not going to fight with you in front of their teachers and friends," he said, trying to pass her. "Kathy, move."

Kathy shook her head. "I came here to see you and my children, Elliot. I didn't think you'd bring that little floozy."

"Don't you dare," he spat viciously. He took a breath and closed his eyes, calming down. "Olivia is..."

"Mr. Stabler," a nice-looking woman said, interrupting. "I just spoke with your wife, and might I say, she is charming. I told her all about Maureen's performance in math class, so I'm sure she'll fill you in at home. The twins are so cute," she said, cheerfully. "They're growing up so quickly. Oh, hello, Kathy. Nice to see you two are getting along." The teacher walked away and Kathy's eyes widened.

"Wife?" she shouted in a whisper. "When did that..."

Elliot squeezed the bridge of his nose. "No, Kathy, we're just engaged, the principal thought...because the girls said that she was their mother...I just...didn't bother correcting him."

"You're marrying her, Elliot?" Kathy asked, her eyes dropping. "Why?"

"I love her," he said.

"You loved me, look at how far that got us," Kathy spewed.

Elliot sighed. "Look, Kathy, I did love you, once. A long time ago. I met Liv, God, not even a year after we got married. I thought I'd never see her again, so I tried like hell to make my commitment to you stick, but Kathy, she 's been in the back of my mind and the back of my heart for as long as..."

"Wow, Elliot, I am not happy about this," Kathy said. "I'm not gonna stand by and let this happen. I swear to God, if she hurts my children..."

"Kathy, turn around," Eliot said, spinning her to face Olivia and the kids. Lizzie was asleep over her shoulder. She was also playing a hand-clap game with Maureen and Kathleen using her free hand and Dickie was clinging to her leg, laughing at the faces she was making down at him. Elliot smiled and leaned over to his ex-wife's ear. "Does it look like she's going to hurt them? At all? Kathy the only one who has ever hurt them is you. And now, you're trying to do it again. Please, just let us be happy. Let your kids be happy."

A tear rolled down Kathy's cheek. She knew he was right. "They are happy," she whispered, "Aren't they?"

"Deliriously. So am I." Elliot rested a hand on her shoulder and patted it. "And the only way you're going to be happy, is if you stop trying to exact your revenge on me and find someone who you truly love, because we both know damn well it was never me." He pushed her gently to the side and walked over to Olivia and his children, smiling as he kissed his fiancée.

Kathy looked on, sadly, as she turned and walked out of the gym, determined to find a way to move on with her life, but stay firmly planted in Elliot's.

**A/N: Uh-oh, who does Kathy decide to set her sights on? Reviews will bring you the answer faster! I'm good and ready to write it all out!**


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: It truly is a "noche" to remember, but why? **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story**

"Really? Who are you?" a smug man, sitting at the interrogation table said, glaring at Olivia. "Are you gonna go make me a sandwich? Can you be a dear and get me a glass of water? No ice."

Olivia looked at Elliot, her eyebrow raised, then she looked back down at the perp. "Can you be less of a misogynistic bastard and just tell us where the girl is?"

"Wait, you're a detective?" the man said, scoffing. "My, they'll give anything a badge these days."

Olivia pressed her lips together and looked around at Elliot, trying to control her rising anger. "They'll give anything a gun, too," she spat, looking back at him. "Wanna see it?"

"Listen, little girl, go clean the bathroom or something," he barked at her. His eyes widened when he was picked up out of his chair by his collar.

"Little? Girl?" Olivia twisted the collar in her hands, smirked, and said, "Clean the bathroom?"

The man clawed at her wrist and hand, his eyes wide. "Sorry," he gasped.

"Sorry, Detective Benson," Olivia said, gritting her teeth.

The man scoffed, but Olivia twisted his collar again and lifted him higher out of his chair. "Okay, okay! Sorry, Detective Benson!"

Olivia dropped him, roughly, and put her hands on her hips. "Where is she?"

"Damn," the man said, rubbing his neck and struggling to breathe. "She should be at school. Trinity Prep. What the hell did she do, anyway?"

Olivia raised her eyebrows. "She didn't do anything. She's a victim," she said, holding her hand out to Elliot. Elliot handed her a file, and she threw the contents of it onto the table in front of the man. "See?"

The man fanned out the photos and smirked. "She's very photogenic. You got my bad side though," he said, tapping on the picture.

"Oh," Elliot said. "The video got every side of you humanly possible." He got up, jerked his head, telling Olivia to follow him, and walked out into the pit. A uniformed officer walked into the room to cuff the man and Alex nodded at the detectives as she walked out to have the man arraigned. Elliot looked at Cragen. "We're gonna go get the..."

Cragen interrupted him. "I already sent Munch."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Cap, this is our case! How could you..."

"Your mother is here," Cragen said, interrupting again.

Olivia instantly clutched her cross and followed Elliot out of the pit and into the squadroom. Bernadette rose from the chair next to Elliot's desk and smiled at her son, walking to him and wrapping him in a hug. "Elliot," she said. "You haven't called in so long! Frankie told me that sweet girl you were with was shot, and then Kathy called and told me you're getting married! How could you move on so quickly? I'm missing so much of your life!"

"Mom," Elliot said. "Liv was shot, but she's fine. She's the girl that I'm marrying."

Bernadette tilted her head. "Who is Liv?"

Elliot sighed. "Mom, you know Olivia. You remember Olivia? I call her 'Liv,' like the way some people call you 'Bernie,' it's a nickname."

"Oh," Bernadette said. "I remember her, of course. She was shot?" she asked, looking at Elliot.

"Yes, Mom," Elliot told her. "But, she's absolutely fine, see?" he asked, pulling Olivia forward.

Olivia waved with one hand, still clutching the cross with the other. "Hello, Bernie."

"Hello, honey. Please, I told you last time, call me 'Mom'," Elliot's mother told her. "May I see the ring he gave you?"

Olivia looked at Elliot, nervously, as she held out her left hand. "It's..."

"Absolutely beautiful," Bernadette said, turning her hand over. "Wear it in good health, my dear."

"Oh, uh, thank you, Bernie," Olivia said. "Um, Mom." Her eyes screwed shut. It didn't feel good calling anyone "Mom" so soon after burying her mother.

Bernadette looked at the ring for a moment, then looked up and asked, "You're getting married?"

"Yes," Olivia said, furrowing her brow. "I am."

"Congratulations," Bernadette said, cheerfully. "To who?"

Elliot pulled his mother's hand away from Olivia's and said, "To me, Mom. Olivia and I are getting married."

"But, you're already married!" Bernadette yelled. "I didn't raise you this way, Elliot!"

"Mom, calm down. Remember? Kathy and I got an annulment, we're not married anymore," Elliot said, looking into his mother's eyes. "Olivia and I have been together for seven months, now."

"Kathy! She's here. She's in the hallway, waiting for someone," Bernadette said. Her clarity was returning, but there was no telling how brief a moment it would be. "She has a date."

Elliot shook his head and sighed. "Okay, Mom, come on. Let's go outside and talk to Kathy." He pulled Bernadette out into the hallway and saw Kathy, leaning against the wall, with a very smug look on her face.

"Hello, Elliot," Kathy said. "I hope you don't mind that I brought your mom for a visit. She misses you, and I thought she deserved to meet your new wife."

Bernadette smiled at Kathy. "Oh, I've met Olivia before. She's very sweet."

"Okay, Ma, you're not helping," Kathy muttered.

"Kathy," Elliot said, "Please, don't bring my mother here while I'm working. And, I hope you have fun on your date. It's good that you're getting out there and moving on."

"Don't you wanna know who I'm going out with tonight, Elliot?" she asked, smirking.

Elliot shook his head. "No, as long as they take your mind off of me and Liv, then I'm cool with..."

"Fin," Kathy spat, harshly, interrupting.

"Good," Elliot said, not really hearing her. "I hope you...wait...what? Did you say Fin?"

Fin walked up the hall at that moment, whistling, and saw Kathy. "Hey! What are you doin' here? I told you I would pick you up," he said. "Hey, Stabler. I see you two have met."

"Fin, this is Kathy," Elliot said with narrow-eyes.

Fin chuckled. "I know, man. I have a date with her, I know who she is," he said with a laugh.

Elliot shook his head and spat, "My ex-wife. Kathy."

"Oh, shit," Fin muttered. "I didn't...wow...man, I'm..."

"No," Elliot interrupted. "Ya know what, go. Have a good time. Maybe you'll have better luck with her than I did." Elliot slapped Fin on the shoulder and walked back into the bullpen. "Liv, you're not gonna believe this."

* * *

"And the wicked, old witch yelled...okay, just sleep through the best part of the story, girls," Olivia said with a chuckle. She stood up, leaned over and kissed Kathleen on the cheek. Then she walked to Maureen and Lizzie, giving them both kisses. She turned out the light and left their room, closing the door behind her. She met Elliot in the hallway. "They were tired from waiting up for us," she told him. "They fell asleep before the witch could cast her evil spell over the kingdom."

Elliot laughed. "Dickie's out like a light, too. We need to convince them that they don't have to wait up for us. We're gonna have late nights, and sometimes we're not gonna be coming home at all."

"They're still little, El. When they're older they'll be able to sleep without seeing us," Olivia assured him, rubbing a hand down his arm. "They just wanna stay up to say good night."

Elliot kissed her cheek and smiled. "Come with me," he said, pulling her toward the bedroom.

"Oh, I wonder what we're gonna do," Olivia quipped, wagging her eyebrows.

"No," Elliot laughed. "Not yet." He pulled her into the bedroom, and toward an open window. "Come on," he said, jerking his head. He climbed out the window, onto the eave, and held his hand out to Olivia.

She took it, with a raised eyebrow, and said, "Is this the part of the movie where the girl finds out her boyfriend is really the killer and he throws her off the roof?"

"Liv!" Elliot said, chuckling. "Just come out here." He pulled her gently onto the eave and climbed with her up to the roof.

"What are we doing up here? It's the middle of the night, El," Olivia said, following him closely.

Elliot sat, then pulled her down, holding her close. He leaned them both back until they were lying flat on the roof. "It's a clear night, Liv. You can see every star in the sky. It's rare in this city."

"You brought me up here to look at the stars?" Olivia asked, stunned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Elliot said, shaking his head. "My best friend is on a date with my ex-wife, and I don't care. I'm with you, you're wearing my ring, my mother knows who you are, my kids are happy and healthy, my life is perfect."

Olivia snuggled closer to him, resting her head on his chest. "You really came out here to look at the stars, for no reason, then?"

"There's a reason, Liv." He ran his hands through her hair and sighed. "We don't get a lot time to ourselves. We don't get a lot of time for romance, and we've both been through a lot, lately. I wanted to bring you up here, look at the stars, and, uh, I have to tell you something."

"Go ahead, El," Olivia said, tracing light circles on his chest with her finger.

"When I was stationed, it didn't matter where, Liv, I would go outside, even when it was raining, and look up at the stars. I would think of you, and I would wish on those stars that you would be safe and happy, wherever you were. The night Kathy kicked me out, I walked up to the roof of the precinct, and I looked up and, Liv, I wished for you. Not that you'd be safe, not that you'd be happy, but that you'd come back to me, somehow. The next morning, there you were, in Cragen's office. This time, I want to make a wish together," he told her.

Tears in her eyes, she craned her neck to look at him. "What do you want to wish for?"

"More nights like this," Elliot said, pulling her further on top of him. He looked into her eyes, smiled and added, "And maybe, soon, more kids."

They were staring so intently into each others eyes, letting the weight of his words sink in, they didn't see the shooting star pass over them. Since they were on the roof, caught in a romantic moment, they didn't hear Elliot's cell phone ringing in the bedroom, either. Cragen would just have to leave a very frantic voicemail.

**A/N: What does Cragen say? And did Elliot mean it when he wished for more kids, with Olivia, so soon? **


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: The locket gets a new picture, and Elliot listens to his voicemail a little too late.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story**

Elliot groaned as he woke up. He rolled over and found Olivia missing from the bed and that's when he popped his eyes open. "Liv?" he called, looking at the clock. They didn't have to be at work until eleven today, Saturday, so they'd set the alarm for nine and it was only eight-thirty. He was confused. Where was she. "Liv, baby?" he called again, rolling over and sitting up.

"I'm here, El," Olivia said from the doorway. She was fully dressed, and she looked a tad bit shell-shocked. "I went to drop the kids off at Kathy's...but, uh...well, um, listen to your messages." She pointed to his cell-phone, blinking on the side-table.

Elliot reached for it, flipped it open and pushed the voicemail button. He punched in his password and waited. His face fell and his mouth hung open. "Holy shit," he spat. "That's insane! Fin would never...Cragen had to know Kathy was just trying to either get out of trouble or cause it!"

"He called you when we were on the roof," Olivia interrupted. "He wanted you to go down to the station and give a character statement; tell the arresting officer that Kathy would do anything to stay in your life, including this. When you didn't pick up, he had to let them book Fin. He called me when I was on my way to her place with the kids. I went down there and gave a statement, but until she recants, or until they find solid evidence to the contrary, he's in trouble."

Elliot shook his head and furrowed his brow. "But how could they even think that..."

Olivia cut him off. "They did a rape kit, El. It came back positive. Fin told me they had sex. Kathy must have..."

Elliot stopped her this time. "Oh, my God, she's insane!"

Olivia shrugged. "El, maybe not. Maybe..."

Elliot overlapped again. "No, Liv, don't even...you can't possibly think that Fin would ever, ever, rape someone!"

Olivia stared at him. "El, I don't. I'm just saying, this could be Kathy regretting sleeping with him and trying to make it his fault. We see it all the time."

Elliot sighed and nodded. "That's true," he said, tilting and cracking his neck. He rolled it and shook his head. "I have to go get him. I can't let him stay in..."

"He's on the couch," Olivia said with a smirk. "His bail wasn't that much."

"You're amazng," Elliot laughed and threw his head back. He waved her over to the bed and she glady went over to him. She crawled on top of him, over the sheets, and kissed him. He nuzzled her nose and kissed her neck and cheeks, and as he raised his head to meet her eyes, he smiled. "Thank you," he said.

"He's my friend, too, El," Olivia said, kissing him again. "No need to thank me, babe."

He moved her up, bucking his hips into hers, and he felt something dig into his hip. "Liv, baby, what's in your pocket?"

"Oh," Olivia said, pressing her lips into a flat smile. "Um, this." She pulled out her keys and the locket she took from her mother's apartment was forged into a keyring. "It was my mom's." She opened it, revealing a picture of her as a baby on one side, and a photo of Elliot and the kids on the other.

"Wow," Elliot said, running a finger over both photos. "Liv, baby, where'd you find this picture? How'd you make it this small?"

Olivia grinned, sheepishly, at him. "I found it on your desk. I took it over to Computer Crimes and had them scan and resize it for me."

Elliot looked into her eyes and the twinkle in his eyes was bright. "Liv, this is so...I'm speechless. Why didn't you pick a photo of all of us, baby?"

"I wanted you guys with me, all the time. And, uh, I'm already there, see?" she asked, pointing to the other side of the locket. "That's me."

"Aw, honey," Elliot said, laughing. "I know, but I think you should be in the picture with me and the kids. Or, at least, put one of me and you on this side."

Olivia nodded. "That's the plan, when we get pictures of us that I actually like."

"Well," Elliot said, linking his hand with hers. "We'll have someone take pictures, then." He kissed her, deeply and pulled her close. Then groaned when the alarm finally went off. "Damn it, we really have to go to work?"

Olivia nodded. "Fin's gonna stay here, if that's okay. Casey is gonna come stay with him and watch the kids. We're gonna work on trying to clear this mess up when we get to work," she said.

* * *

They walked into the bullpen, looking a bit frazzled, and Olivia was wiping spilled coffee off of her blazer. "Where are we with this bullshit case?" she asked, sipping from the cup in her hand and wiping at the same time.

"Well," Munch said, sighing. "Kathy will only talk to you and Elliot. The doctor said that the internal exam proves she had sex, but there's no definitive evidence of rape."

"We figured that much," Elliot said, sipping from his own cup. "She knows I can't talk to her, right?"

Munch nodded. "Cragen's sending Benson," he said, folding his arms. "But, I think you should go with her, ya know, to hold her gun and stop her if she tries to kill Kathy."

Elliot laughed. "I was planning on going with her anyway, Munch, but thanks for your concern for her moral well-being," he said.

"Actually, I just don't want to have to arrest another colleague this weekend. She can kill Kathy next week," Munch quipped.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I'm not going to kill her. I'm just going to weasel a retraction out of her, any way I can. We all know Fin didn't do this."

"Yes, we do," a gruff voice said, from Cragen's office.

Cragen looked at his detective's and gestured. "Benson, Stabler, this is Connor Phillips. He's the new chief at IAB."

Olivia looked at Elliot, furtively, and then held out her hand. "Hi. Olivia Benson," she said, shaking the man's hand.

Phillips nodded. "I know who you are, Detective Benson. And that is a very large diamond. Engaged?"

Olivia looked at Cragen, who smirked and shrugged. "Um, yes. I am."

"Congratulations," Phillips said. "Stabler," he said, holding out his hand to Elliot. "Wish I could say it was nice to see you. We know you'll never hear me say that."

"Hi, Connor," Elliot said, shaking his hand with a roll of his eyes.

Phillips glowered at him and folded his arms. "Your ex-wife is handing us a load of bull, and you and Benson are going to hand it right back to her. Play into her fears and find out why she's lying, then use your perfect-team powers to flatten her. I want this case closed, and Tutuola cleared, by the end of business today. Oh, and Benson, you and your fiancée are invited to the annual Black and White Ball. The invitation's on your desk. You too, Stabler, if you can find a date." Phillips nodded at everyone and walked out.

"I take it you know Connor," Cragen said to Elliot.

Elliot nodded. "We were in the academy together, and I kicked his ass in just about everything. How the hell did he get this job?"

Munch started. "His father..."

"Oh," Elliot said. "Right. Daddy, the biggest developer in the city. Man, it must be nice to come from money and power."

Olivia looked at Cragen. "You didn't tell him about me and Elliot?"

"Um, no. I figured once you closed this case, showed him what you can do together, have him witness it first hand, you could show up to the ball together and surprise him," Cragen said, with a chuckle. "And, also, I really wanna see his face when he finds out Stabler not only got a date, but could afford to get you that ring."

The squad laughed and Elliot and Olivia headed out to talk to Kathy. The car ride to her apartment was comfortably quiet. Olivia kept looking down at the coffee-colored stain on her shirt and smiling.

"I'm sorry about that, honey," Elliot said, nodding toward her.

Olivia turned up her face and shook her head. "Don't be. Lizzie didn't mean it. She just jumped into my arms at the wrong time, that's all. It's one of the hazards of parenthood."

"Yeah," Elliot laughed. "It is. So, speaking of parenthood, when do you want to...I mean, you do want..."

"Of course I do, El! Maybe, after the wedding?" Olivia suggested, chuckling. "But, if it happens before then, so be it. We haven't been actively trying, but I've just been taking the pill, we haven't been using anything else. It could happen on it's own, hun," she said, tilting her head. the turned down Kathy's street and Olivia sighed. "Okay, so you're not allowed to say anything."

"I know," Elliot said, pulling into a parking space. "I'm going to sit there, silent, and watch you work your Benson magic," he said, winking, as he got out of the car.

They walked up to the door and were surprised when it swung open before they knocked. "Where are my kids?" she asked, bitterly.

"They're home, with a sitter," Olivia said. "They're not allowed to be here while there's an investigation going on, Kathy."

Kathy folded her arms. "But, it's my weekend. Elliot, what are you doing?"

Olivia spoke up before ELliot was tempted to answer. "Elliot isn't allowed to talk to you. Conflict of interest. And we aren't here to talk about the kids, Kathy. We have the results..."

"I want my kids, here, before dinner. Is that clear, Olivia?" Kathy interrupted.

Olivia smirked. "Um, yeah, see, that's not going to happen, because you're accusing a detective of rape when you know damn well he didn't..."

"Why can't Elliot talk to me, exactly?" Kathy asked, cutting her off again.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Because you're his ex-wife. He's personally involved with you and his line of questioning would be swayed."

"And yours isn't?" Kathy asked, raising an eyebrow, sighing.

"No," Olivia said. "Think of me as an impartial third party. Now, if you want your kids here by dinner, you have to tell me what really happened, and then you have to tell me why you accused Detective Tutuola of rape." She put a hand on her hip and gestured with the other. "This will all go away and we'll go get the kids."

"Impartial my ass," Kathy spat. "Come in," she said, opening the door wide. "Have a seat, and I will tell you everything. As long as you promise to get my kids here tonight, Olivia."

"You have my word," Olivia said, nodding. She took out her notebook and pen, and sat on the couch. She watched as Elliot took a seat beside her and then looked toward Kathy.

The blonde sighed and sat down on the chair in front of them and said, "I slept with him, hoping to make Elliot mad. When it was over, I realized that I barely knew him, and I felt so horrible, I thought claiming it as date-rape would somehow make me feel better and also earn me a little sympathy from Elliot. But, when none of that happened, and it became this huge ordeal..." she paused and caught Olivia's eyes. "I didn't know they were going to arrest him, or drag me to the hospital. Elliot never talked about any of this stuff with me, I didn't know what I was doing. Is Fin going to get fired?"

"No, Kathy," Olivia said. "Not if you recant everything right now, in writing."

"I'll do that then," she said. "And...I'm sorry. To the both of you, for everything." She took Olivia's notebook and pen, and began writing. Olivia looked at Elliot and they silently agreed that this had been way too easy, and Kathy had been way too submissive. She was hiding something, and they didn't have much time to figure out what it was.

**A/N: What is Kathy not telling them? What will Phillips say when he finds out Elliot is Olivia's fiancée? And what exactly happened between Phillips and Elliot? All that, and a bit o'smut, in the next chap. If you'd like it...**


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: What's Kathy hiding? Who does she confide in? Do they get Fin off the hook? And what happens at the ball?**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

With Kathy's statement in writing, they had gotten up to leave, when Olivia felt a sharp, strong, tug on her arm.

"Wait," Kathy said. "I'd like to talk to you, if I could. Um, alone."

Olivia looked at her, saw the clear desperation in her eyes, and nodded. "El," she said, turning toward her fiancée-slash-partner, "Run this down to Cragen. Clear Fin," she said, handing him the notebook.

Elliot scoffed. "Liv, I'm not leaving you here..."

"I'll be fine," Olivia said. "Go."

Elliot nodded, glared at Kathy, then left. Once he was gone, Kathy started sobbing. Right into Olivia's arms.

"Wow, okay, um," Olivia wasn't sure how to handle her finacee's ex-wife crying on her shoulder. She hated this woman. "Kathy, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

"I was raped!" Kathy yelled. "It wasn't Fin; it happened when I was walking home from his place, and when I reported it, I blanked. I knew the only DNA they would find would be Fin's, I knew they'd blame him anyway so..."

Olivia interrupted. "Kathy, why didn't you tell us this before? This needs to go into your statement!"

"No!" Kathy spat. "Olivia, no. I don't want to report it, now. I just wanted to tell you, as a friend, or maybe a future friend. Please, Elliot can't know."

Olivia ushered Kathy back down into the couch's seat and sat next to her. "Kathy, do you know who did this to you? Do you know what happened? You can tell me, and I promise, I won't tell Elliot that we're investigating this for you."

"No, I don't know anything. I know he used a condom. He wore a black ski mask, gloves and...and I know he just kept saying if I relaxed..."

"You'd enjoy it?" Olivia chimed in.

"Yes," Kathy said, shocked. "How did you know?"

Olivia sighed. "Kathy, he's a serial-rapist. You're his fifth victim. We've been after him for months. Now, I know this is gonna be hard, but I need you to tell me everything."

"You won't tell Elliot?" Kathy asked, pleading.

Olivia sighed, shaking her head. "You have my word, no one but me will even know your name, unless we need you to testify."

"How likely is that?" Kathy asked, knotting her hands together.

Olivia shrugged. "It's hard to say," she said. "With all of this happening, the kids really shouldn't be here tonight."

Kathy sighed. "I hate you, Olivia."

"I know you do," Olivia said, taking another notebook out of her pocket. "But you have to..."

"No, I meant...I hate you because it's impossible for me to hate you. You're too God damn nice! You're great with my kids, you make Elliot tremendoulsy happy, and you're really, very beautiful. I can see why it only took him one night to fall in love with you. I'm not surprised he jumped at the chance to be with you when you came back to him," she said, as a tear rolled down her cheek. "Yeah, I know all about it. I'm sure you know by now, Elliot talks in his sleep. He kept mumbling your name over and over in his sleep, every night for seven years," she said.

"Yeah, uh, I know that," Olivia said. "We talked about that."

Kathy chuckled a bit. "I was so pissed, and when I met you that night at the station, I knew it was you. I wanted so badly to despise you for ruining my marriage, but the truth is, it wasn't much of a marriage to begin with. I kind of trapped him, because of Maureen. You know, he didn't want to marry me. Not that young, not that way. Still, I wanted to blame you, and now here you are, helping me in my time of need"

Olivia ran a hand through her hair and sighed. "It's my job, Kath..."

Kathy interrupted her with a sniffle and a smile. "No, it isn't. It's just who you are. Thank you, for everything, Olivia." She grabbed Olivia's hand and started her story, from the beginning, oblivious to the blue-eyed man waiting outside, with the door still open on a crack, standing in shock.

Thirty minutes later, Olivia rose from the couch and Kathy hugged her. Olivia lightly patted her back and left, making it halfway down the stairs before the sight of their sedan and his voice stopped her.

"Were you really gonna keep that from me?"

She jumped a bit and turned around, coming face-to-face with Elliot. "Didn't I tell you to leave?"

"I wasn't gonna leave you alone in there with my not-right-in-the-head ex-wife, Liv," Elliot said, walking around to the driver's side of the car. He got in, waited for her to do the same, and then started the car.

"How much of that did you hear?" Olivia asked, flipping her notebook shut and sliding it into her pocket.

Elliot scoffed. "I heard bits and pieces of...everything, including her admitting she actually likes you. Now, I asked, were you really gonna keep all that a secret?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "She asked me to, El. If a vic asks..."

"Olivia," he said, in a sing-song, patronizing manner and a smirk on his face.

"Of course I wasn't," she admitted. "But it's a moot point now, anyway. You heard everything," she said, smacking him in the arm as he drove them back to the station.

* * *

"So," Phillips said, sipping coffee from a silver mug. "You've managed to clear Tutuola and find a fifth victim of the ski-mask rapist? What are you, the Wonder Twins?"

"Yeah," Olivia said. "Shape of a hawk."

"Form of an avalanche," Elliot quipped, winking at Olivia. "I could get down with being Zan and Jayna."

"Funny," Phillips said. "Cragen, I want this guy caught and handled before tomorrow. The guests at the Black and White Ball will not enjoy themselves knowing that this guy is still out there, and you two," he said, pointing at Olivia and Elliot, "Won't even be going if he's not apprehended."

"And of course we wouldn't want that," Elliot said, in the same patronizing manner he'd used on Olivia that afternoon.

Phillips narrowed his eyes at Elliot. "Look, Stabler, whatever happened between us at the academy is in the past. You are now one half of the best team we've got, and you need to be at that ball. Though, I am happy you won't be showing up with a date. You're ex-wife won't be going with you, and you're certainly not going to be showing off that hot, young thing you always bragged about. What's her name? It rhymed with a foreign country...Belgium, Burgundy, Bosnia..."

"Bolivia," Elliot said, chuckling, sipping his coffee.

"Yeah, that's it, whatever," Phillips said, not making the connection. "I assume she's not even still in your life. Pity. Benson, I look forward to meeting your fiancée, if you catch this bastard," he said, narrowing his eyes. "I'm going to go have Tutuola fully pardoned and reinstated. Cragen, I want everyone of your guys out there looking for this ski-mask guy." Phillips ran out of the squadroom, taking the mug with him.

"Since when does IAB give me orders?" Cragen asked, folding his arms. "And he took my fucking mug!"

"Well," Elliot said. "Liv, it looks like we have a deadline."

Olivia nodded and then narrowed her eyes. "Bolivia agrees with you," she quipped.

"Hey, it's how he remembers names! Be glad you're name isn't Dolores, have you ever seen that episode of Seinfeld?" Elliot asked, grabbing his keys and following Olivia out of the bullpen.

* * *

They ran into the house, rushing, full of energy and yawning at the same time. They heard little feet stampeding toward the door. "Oh, no," Olivia said with a chuckle, bracing herself for the onslaught that was about to occur.

"Momma!" Maureen yelled, leaping into her arms.

Kathleen did the same thing as Lizzie and Dickie padded and ran into Elliot's arms. "Daddy!" they squealed together.

"Hey, guys," Elliot said, kissing each child on the head. "We have missed you all so much," he said.

"We missed you, too," Dickie said, leaning over to Olivia to kiss her on the cheek. "Home now?" he asked.

"We're done working, bud," Elliot said, scruffing Dickie's hair, "But Momma and I had to work for a very long time to get the bad guy, and now we have to go to a police party, so you have to spend a few more hours with Uncle Frankie."

Kathleen pouted. "But you've been gone for so long," she said, sticking her lower lip out and raising her little eyebrows.

"I know, munchkin," Olivia said. "We just have to go and see some people for a bit, and we will be home in time to tuck you in, I promise."

"Okay," Maureen said.

The kids were put on the floor and they ran back into the living room as Olivia and Elliot ran upstairs to change. Their work clothes were nearly ripped off, and they rushed to change into their formal attire. Olivia slipped into a slinky, white, knee-length dress. Elliot pulled on a jet-black suit, with a white shirt and black tie. Olivia ran into the bedroom as Elliot was clipping his cuff-links. "El," she said, "Zip me up?"

He turned, without hesitation, and pulled up her zipper, and when she turned to thank him, his jaw dropped. "Holy shit," he gasped.

"That bad? I don't have time to change," she said, looking down, analyzing her dress. "I thought it looked okay in the store."

"Baby," he said, eyeing her up and down. "You're breathtaking. I don't want to go to this stupid thing as it is. Let's leave now, eat, dance, I'll show you off and rub Phillips' nose in it, and then we'll come home, put the kids to bed and then, uh,_ I'll _put _you_ to bed." He grinned mischievously and raised his eyebrow.

Olivia laughed. "That sounds like a marvelous idea," she said, kissing him.

They arrived, fashionably late, and heads definitely turned. They commanded attention, not only because they had just caught one of the most sought after serial-rapists in the city, but because they walked in hand-in-hand, stunningly dressed and smiling. They found their unit's table and greeted everyone, relieved to see Fin. Elliot pulled out Olivia's chair for her, but before she could sit, Phillip's had strode over to them.

"Stabler," Phillips said, "First, I'd like to commend you and Benson. Fantastic work. I know it must have been difficult, but you got him. I'm sure your captain is proud of the both of you. And, uh, Benson, I see you've agreed to show up with your partner. Guess he really couldn't find a date. Very nice of you, but I was really hoping to meet your..."

"Sergeant Phillips," Olivia said, smiling brightly. "Before you finish that sentence, I would like to tell you that I actually did bring my fiancée."

"Oh," Phillips said, happily. "Is he parking the car?"

Olivia laughed. "No, he's, um, standing right next to me. Sergeant Philips, meet my fiancée, Elliot."

Elliot held out his hand and said, "I'm sure you remember me talking about Olivia. Her name rhymes with Bolivia."

Phillips paled as he shook Elliot's hand. "Well, I guess I have a little egg on my face, huh?" he asked, looking from Elliot to Olivia. "Stabler, I don't know how, but you've really bagged yourself a beauty. But, you do know that it's against..."

"Actually," Cragen said, interrupting, "It isn't. Not if they were together before I hired them. And you've seen how they work together. They just hauled in a guy we've been after for months. Are you really going to split up my best team?"

"Well, uh," Phillips looked around at the SVU table, their faces were all smug. "No. I guess not." He nodded to everyone and said, "I hope you all have a good evening." He walked away, feeling quite embarrassed and a little jealous.

Elliot, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, grabbed Olivia's hand and pulled her toward the dance floor. "Come on," he said.

"What? What are you doing?" she asked, shocked. The music had only just started to play, a swing-style song, and there were no other couples on the floor.

Elliot, however, didn't seem to care. He had a huge smile on his face as he pulled Olivia toward him and spun her around. "Showing you off," he said. "Rubbing Phillips' nose in it," he said, kissing her. "And dancing with my fiancée." He grabbed her hand and twirled her outward, then pulled her back toward him as she laughed. "Didn't know I could dance, huh?"

Olivia chuckled. "You're always full of surprises, Stabler," she said, her eyes widening as he dipped her.

"You ain't seen nothin' yet, beautiful," he said as he kissed her, then pulled her up. He knew that a good chunk of the NYPD was watching, and he didn't care. In fact, if there was one thing that Elliot Stabler secretly loved, it was an audience. He grabbed both of Olivia's hands and twirled her around again, then had her moving with him in a very lively swing dance. She laughed and nuzzled him, kissed him sweetly in between chuckles, and had the time of her life. Elliot leaned forward and whispered, "We're tucking the kids in and then I booked us a room at the Hyatt."

She blinked and tilted her head back, smirking. "What? Why?"

"The kids were supposed to be with Kathy this weekend, Liv. I'm not missing my chance to hear you scream," he said seductively. "Baby, tonight, I'm gonna do things to you that will make your head spin." He watched her eyes darken and he chuckled, then spun her outward again as he laughed. This was definitely gonna be one hell of a night.

**A/N: Really wanna know what went down with Phillips and Stabler, dontcha? Are we starting to like Kathy? You wanna read about the rest of their "Noche"? Then leave me a review, and I'll tell you all about it! =)**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: The rest of their glorious "noche," and the history between Stabler and Phillips. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and its Characters belong to Dick Wolf. Storyline and dialogue, and narrative belong to TStabler©**

Elliot and Olivia had only left the dance floor to eat and drink, barely socializing with anyone else. Not that anyone else was complaining. No one had ever seen this side of Stabler before. He was really going wild out there with Olivia, and the smile never left his face. A lot of people expected Olivia to be embarrassed, but she wasn't. She was having so much fun, and to her, he was the only other person in the room.

A slow song began, one that Elliot had taken to singing to Olivia randomly in the middle of the night, and they smiled sweetly at each other. He pulled her close, linking their lefts hands as his right arm wrapped around her waist. "They're playing our song, baby," he whispered into her ear, almost seductively.

"So I hear," Olivia said, resting her head on his shoulder. "Wonder why." She smirked, knowing that he'd stopped off at the DJ Booth on his way to the bar and asked the man to play this song.

Elliot grinned and kissed the top of her head. "No idea, Liv." He held her tightly to him, spinning her around the floor, as he hummed the song to her softly. "It's true, Liv," he said as he dropped a sweet kiss to her neck.

"What is?" she asked, picking her head up and looking at him.

"I really am amazed by you," he said, using the lyric to express his feelings. "I can't believe we're here, sometimes. I feel like I'm gonna wake up tomorrow, and Kathy's gonna be there, yelling at me for dreaming about you."

Olivia chuckled. "I know, El. I feel like that, too, but then I realize that this all very real. And as crazy as it was, how we got here, I'd never go back. Not for a second."

"I love you, Olivia," he said, kissing her.

She brushed her nose against his. "I love you, too, Elliot," she said, watching his eyes light up.

"I think this is good practice, baby," he said, looking around at the still-sitting, stiff and staunch cops who were all staring at them.

"For what?" Olivia asked, listening to the final verse of the Lonestar tune as she rested her head back on his shoulder.

He leaned his head on hers, swaying and spinning. "The wedding," he said, giving the crown of her head another peck. "We are the center of attention, and everyone in this room is either jealous or thinks we're the fucking cutest thing they've ever seen." He dipped her as the song ended, kissed her, and pulled her up. "And that's exactly how it's gonna be on our wedding day."

* * *

They'd gotten home around nine-thirty, read the kids three bedtime stories to make up for being gone so long, and then, as soon as they were asleep, Elliot grabbed a bag from the bedroom that he'd packed before, and pulled Olivia down the stairs. They waved to Frank, who rolled his eyes, and left, climbing back into the SUV. "We don't have to do this, ya know," Olivia said, looking up at the house.

"Baby," Elliot said, starting the car. "I'm afraid that if we don't, the kids are gonna be asking a lot of questions in the morning that we aren't ready to answer." He laughed when she chuckled and they headed for the Hyatt.

"So, what exactly happened between you and Phillips?" Olivia asked as they pulled out onto a busy Queens street, heading into the city.

Elliot shook his head and sighed. "I've always been one step ahead of him, Liv. He got a seventy on his entrance exam, I got a ninety. He could only point and shoot with his right hand, I could use both. He did fifteen extra training hours by graduation, I did twenty. I ran faster, I was stronger, I was..."

"Way hotter," Olivia said, sounding like a teenager.

Elliot laughed. "You see my point. Anyway, we were both up for this special services award and he was told the night before graduation that he got it. Well, graduation day, they called my name instead of his. I asked my CO about it, and all he could tell me was that a national police bulletin published an article that led to the closure of eighteen open rape and assault cases at Fort Meyers, and the author specifically thanked me. That put me over Phillips at the last minute." He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

"Holy shit," she said, shocked. "My thesis!"

"Yeah," Elliot said, nodding. "I didn't make the connection until Phillips came storming into the squadroom the other day reminding me about it. Even when we were apart, you had my back."

Olivia hummed and raised her eyebrows. "Guess you can't screw with fate, huh?"

"Nope," Elliot agreed, pulling off of the highway and onto a busy Manhattan avenue. He turned down a one-way street and pulled up next to a pimply-faced kid in a red jacket. He got out of the car, ran around to help Olivia out of her side, and handed the kid a twenty-dollar bill, and flashed his badge. "If this car has so much as a wayward fingerprint on it, I'll arrest you. Got it?"

The kid, shaking, nodded and got into the car. Elliot chuckled as he watched the SUV move, very slowly, into the valet lot of the Hyatt and fade into the distance as the kid found a spot far away from the other cars. He laughed harder when he watched the kid pull his sleeve down over his fingers to turn the key, and get out of the car. Olivia had to laugh, then, too, when the boy tried to close the door and set the alarm without using his hands.

Elliot shook his head when the boy ran back and handed him his keys. "Thanks," he said to the valet. He grabbed the duffel bag and walked into the hotel, still chuckling.

Before she followed him, however, Olivia looked at the kid and said, "You know he really couldn't have arrested you for getting fingerprints on his car, right?" When the boy's eyes widened, Olivia laughed and walked into the hotel to catch up with Elliot.

He checked them in and they headed to their room, opened the door, and before Olivia could say anything, Elliot had her locked in his arms and his lips were attached to hers. It was as if he'd never kissed her before; as if he truly tasted her for the first time at this moment. He was nibbling on her tongue and her bottom lip and running his hands through her hair, over her body, never once breaking contact. He was incredibly happy she was in a dress, because nothing needed to go over her head to interrupt his continuous assault on her mouth. His fingers slid the zipper down, slowly, and Olivia moaned in anticipation. She worked him out of his pants as he skimmed over her body under the dress.

Her own hands were busy shirking away his jacket and tie, nimbly flicking open the buttons on his shirt and effortlessly smoothing it off of his shoulders. As her hands ran over his bare arms, she felt his tattoos, both of them, that were constant reminders of the way they'd been brought into each other's life. The Marine seal emblazoned on the inside of his arm, shouting to them that the whole reason he was with her that night to begin with was because he was a Marine, on leave for one week, spending one night in upstate New York on the way to the city. Jesus, who wore a crown of thorns and "Olivias", reminding them that she had been a sin and he, a sinner. Her finger grazed over the crown, and she felt the raised letters of her name, scripted three times in rapid succession. She moaned again, against the still-unbroken kiss, as the tremendous realization that his promise to find her again had been kept.

Similar thoughts were racing through Elliot's mind as he heard the dress plop to the floor and he searched, eyes closed, with agile hands, to find the straps and clasp to the white lace bra she was wearing. He found, first, the chain and charm around her neck. His fingers followed the chain, not the original since his mother ripped the first one to pieces, down to the valley between her breasts and they clutched the gold, diamond laden cross. For them, it wasn't about faith in God, or Heaven. It was a symbol of her faith in Elliot. Her faith in his promise to come back for her, his promise to find her. And keep her. And he did. He clenched the cross in his fist as he deepened the kiss, even more, telling her, in a way, that he was a man of his word.

He dropped the cross and finagled the bra away from her silky skin, letting it, too, fall to the floor. He picked her up, wrapping her firmly around his waist, and carried her over to the bed, flinging them softly onto the mattress. His lips finally detached themselves from hers and began to explore her neck and her chest and her belly, lower and lower. He clutched the sides of her white lace panties, smirking at them, silently thinking how amazing they would have looked under a wedding dress. "What a shame," he said, and tugged them off of her. "Lace rips so easily, Liv," he said with a grin.

"Normal people don't really go around ripping off their underwear, El," Olivia said, grinning right back at him.

"We're not normal," he quipped, bending his head to kiss the warm, wet canal he'd positioned himself in front of. He licked her, twice, and heard two amazingly loud cries. "Oh, hell yes," he said, popping his head up. "See, that's what tonight is about." He smirked and resumed his licking. Every time he heard her moan, he'd lick her deeper. She came in mere seconds, but he didn't stop. She was in a bit of pain, but it was a good kind of pain.

"Oh, my God, El," she cried. Her right hand had entangled itself in the sheet, twisting it into a braided, knotted mess. Her left was twirling the long parts of his hair, scratching at his scalp, egging him on. "What the fuck…"

"I told you," he said, looking up at her. "I'm gonna make your head spin." He winked, then reattached his mouth to her clit, sucking, hard. She growled and he lost it. He got to his knees, pointed and snapped at her and said, "Up!" and waved a hand over the headboard.

Olivia's eyes darkened and she sat up a bit and scooted back, doing as she was told.

Elliot's eyes were a deep, midnight blue, now, and he crawled over in front of her. "I know you're a screamer, baby," he said, positioning himself between her legs. "And before we're done, everyone on this floor is gonna know it, too." He made sure her back was flush against the headboard, he trickled his fingers lightly over her body and grabbed her hands. He brought her arms up to the top of the bed and wrapped her hands around the top. "Hold on, don't let go," he told her. He chuckled when he saw the shocked and slightly nervous look in Olivia's almost black eyes. He ran his hands gently back down her body and moved her legs around his waist, linking her ankles behind him. He wrapped one of his hands around her neck and placed the other one on the headboard, next to her head. "I love you," he said, looking deeply into her eyes, darker than he'd ever seen them.

"I love you, too," Olivia replied, still wondering why she was backed up against the headboard, why he'd told her to hold on, why he was looking at her like that.

He gave her an answer when he gripped her neck and kissed her quickly. Then, Elliot pushed against the headboard, and speared into her, causing the both of them to cry out, loudly. He loved the noise, the sound of her voice, the way she yelled and screamed his name, the way to anyone listening, they would know damn well they were cries, moans and groans of pure pleasure.

She couldn't get enough of his grunts, and cries of her name. She held him closer, disregarding his command to hold on to the headboard, wrapping one arm around him and clawing at his back. The second he felt her nails on his skin, he growled her name along a string of four letter words he usually reserved for the interrogation room. Olivia grinned when she felt the first of many mind-blowing orgasms approaching. The upright position was definitely making her head spin. "El," she cried. "God, Elliot. Oh, my God, Elliot."

"Jesus, Olivia," he said, slamming into her, slamming her into the headboard, violently. "Don't hold back, baby."

Olivia didn't hold anything back. She screamed and cried, nothing but Elliot's name and a few loud prayers to God and Jesus.

The man in the next room, sitting against his own headboard, feeling the thuds and listening to the moans and screams, so loud, right in his ears, rolled his eyes. He didn't get out of the bed though. He smirked. He knew he shouldn't have told Elliot where he was staying while his apartment was being renovated. Phillips chuckled and settled back on his pillow. "Fuck, Stabler. You lucky son of a bitch," he mumbled. "Just wait, though. You'll get yours."

**A/N: I told you guys that Elliot liked an audience. =) More to come, if you want it! **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Phillips has a plan to get even with Elliot. It backfires, in a big way.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf, this story, dialogue, narrative and other written elements are sole property of TStabler©**

Olivia and Elliot walked into the bullpen, smiling and cheerful, ready to take on whatever case Cragen had for them. They noticed Fin coming out of the pit, still in his white suit, and raised their eyebrows. "What's up man?" Elliot asked, jerking his head back.

Fin yawned, then said, "Officer involved sexual assault, right after the ball."

Elliot furrowed his brow. "Anyone we know?"

Fin shook his head. "Vic's a beat cop from the one-four, perp is from the Anti-Terrorism Unit in the two-three."

"Oh, God," Olivia said as she rolled her eyes, "That means Phillips is gonna..."

"Why am I awake and here at six in the goddamn morning?" Phillips asked, storming into the bullpen. "I didn't get a whole lotta sleep last night." He glared at Elliot, who smirked and snickered.

"Why, Greg?" Elliot asked, as if he didn't know.

Phillips rolled his eyes. "Stabler, you dick, you know damn well."

Elliot laughed smugly, wagging his eyebrows. "Yeah, I do."

Phillips looked at Olivia and tilted his head. "You really are the kind of girl most men fantasize about, Benson," he said.

"Excuse me?" Olivia said, narrowing her eyes and making a very annoyed face.

Phillips took two steps closer to her. "That body, that face, those eyes, and the way you sound when..."

"Hey," Elliot interrupted viciously. "You're here to talk to the cop-slash-rapist, not my fiancée!"

Phillips looked back at Elliot and chuckled. "Fiancée, right," he said. "We'll see if she actually marries you, Stabler." He shook his head and made an appreciative noise at Olivia, then headed into the interrogation room.

"Wanna tell me what that was about?" Olivia asked, slapping Elliot in the arm.

He turned around to face her and smirked. He chuckled and said, "No, not really."

Phillips came back out no less that three seconds later, holding his nose. "That bastard punched me," he said. "I need you two in there with me."

"You can't handle an interrogation by yourself, and you're the new IAB God?" Elliot asked, smirking.

Phillips rolled his eyes. "Just....get in there!"

Olivia looked at Elliot, smirked, and walked into the interrogation room. Elliot followed her, but stopped on his way to bark quickly at Phillips, "How does it feel to know that I'm still better than you? At, uh, pretty much everything?"

"It sucks," Phillips said, wiping some of the blood off of his face. "But I'm gonna have to live with it, right?"

Elliot smirked, narrowed his eyes, and walked into the interrogation room.

Thirty minutes later they had a full confession. Phillips watched Olivia and Elliot close an IAB investigation with no problem, and he was stunned. "You really don't act like a couple," he said, leaning on their joined desks.

"Not at work," Olivia said, not looking up from her paperwork. "That would be a really bad idea."

Phillips cocked his head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Your relationahip really doesn't get in the way?"

"No," Elliot said, typing a new report on his computer. "It actually makes things a whole lot easier. I know where she is at all times, I know I can protect her, I don't have to deal with her getting angry at me for working late because she's working with me, I don't have to deal with her getting jealous of my gorgeous partner because she is my gorgeous partner, it's pretty much the perfect relationship."

Phillips smirked. "Well, I'd hate to be the one to disrupt your perfect relationship, but I need you working with me on something, Stabler, and Benson can't be involved."

Elliot raised an eyebrow at him, finally turning his face from the computer. Olivia looked up from her paperwork and glared. "What the hell are you talking about?" Elliot asked.

"You're going undercover, with me," Phillips said, grinning smugly. "We've been suspecting that several officers are involved in a child porn and prostitution ring, and you and I are going to infiltrate the circle, find them, and take the whole lot of them down."

"Why me?" Elliot asked, furrowing his brow. "This seems like a case that's gonna get a lot of attention and recognition, why would you want that for me? Take Munch. Or Fin."

Phillips rolled his eyes, hating to admit this. "I want you, Stabler, because you're the best the unit's got, next to Benson, and I can't take her since she's a woman. You and I will check into the hotel tomorrow, Cragen will give you the file and your new identity profile before you leave tonight."

Olivia's eyes, cold, glassy and narrow, bored into Phillips' before they darted to Elliot's. "How long is this gonna take?" she asked, worried.

Phillips shrugged. "If we do it right, only a few days. If Stabler drags his ass, up to a month."

"A month?" Olivia yelled. "We're getting married in three..."

"Oh, is that right? That soon? Well, I'm sure pushing the date back won't be a problem," Phillips said, smirking. "The car will pick you up at five, Stabler. make sure you're prepared." He chuckled and turned, walking out of the squadroom.

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other, hurt and angry, and Elliot's temper flared. He rose out of his desk, took three steps, turned to the side and punched the lockers. Olivia jumped at the noise of the impact, since her desk was right in front of the lockers, and she squeezed her eyes shut. She knew what he was like when he was angry, but this was extreme. If Elliot didn't handle the case quickly, they'd have to postpone the wedding. Olivia knew, from the way Phillips had said it, that was exactly what the man wanted.

* * *

"I am now Frank Thompson," Elliot said, reading the file. "And Phillips is supposed to be my brother, Fred," he added. "This sucks!" He threw the file on the table and ran a hand through his hair.

"I know it does, but it's your job, El. Phillips was right," Olivia said, snaking her hands up his back, squeezing his shoulders, working out the tension. "You are the best we've got. Just get it done, fast. We can't push the wedding back."

"I know, baby. I will. God that's fucking fantastic," Elliot moaned, loving the massage he was getting. He scooted closer to her on the couch and bent his neck, silently asking her to rub that, too.

Olivia laughed as her hands moved to his neck. She massaged and rubbed and squeezed, and listened to his moans and groans. She dropped her head and kissed his neck, too, which only fanned the fire.

"Liv," he whispered. "You're walking into very dangerous territory, baby," he said, seductively.

"I like danger, El," she said, kissing his back and shoulders as she rubbed. "I'm a cop."

"God, that feels incredible," he moaned, "But if you don't stop..."

"El, you're leaving in three hours, for God knows how long," Olivia said, running her hands around him and over his chest.

Elliot moaned again, grabbing her hands and pulling her tighter around him. "Don't remind me," he whispered as his head dropped back to rest on her chest. She kissed him, deeply, raking her nails over his chest and he growled softly into her mouth. "You just crossed the line, Liv." He turned, quickly, never breaking their kiss, and started tugging at Olivia's flannel bottoms.

Olivia bucked up her hips, allowing him to get her pants off, as her own hands worked his pants down. They were fast, hard, eager, desperate. Olivia threw her head back as he slid into her, and she dug her nails into his back and bit her lip. They were home. She couldn't be loud. "Oh, my God," she whispered.

"Look at me, Liv," he demanded, slowly moving in and out of her. "Look at me, baby."

Olivia picked her head up, clutched the nape of his neck with her left hand and stared into his blue eyes. Her eyes rolled back into her head when Elliot hit a particularly sensitive spot, and her eyes fluttered shut.

"Open your eyes, Liv," Eliot demanded. "God, keep them open." His forehead dropped to hers, she opened her eyes, and he locked his sapphires onto her chocolate orbs, making it impossible to look away. "God damn, baby," he panted, thrusting into her deeper.

Olivia let out a long, breathy moan as she stared into his eyes. Her nails clutched and clawed at his back and she started clenching around him. "God, yes, El," she breathed. "Oh, God, baby."

"Don't close your eyes, Liv," he ordered. "God, you feel so good," he panted, trying to push through her tightening walls. He felt her clamp and tremble and he heard her tiny, shaky breaths. He watched her pupils dilate and her eyes widen and he smirked, hitting into her twice more before he joined her, spilling into her. He kissed her deeply as soon as they were both finished and he murmured a soft, "I love you."

"I love you, too, El," Olivia said, breathlessly.

Elliot grinned and was just about to start moving again, when there was a very loud knock on the door. "Shit," he said, removing himself from Olivia and pulling up his pants. He kissed her passionately as he tugged her pants up for her. "Who the hell is here at three in the morning?" he asked, padding toward the door. He opened it and his eyes widened. "Hey, Cap," he said, surprised.

"Elliot," Cragen said, stepping into the foyer. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Elliot said chuckling, "But, uh, no. Liv and I were up. What's up?"

"The sting op's off," Cragen said, shaking his head. "One of the dirty cops was, uh, ours. From SVU, and he heard Phillips telling you everything today. Greg Phillips was shot tonight, Elliot. He's at Mercy General, right now. Vicks from the two-nine is handling it, and they got the shooter, who has agreed to talk. He's gonna give us names, but only if you and Olivia handle the interrogation."

"What? Since when do we let the perps request their own cops?" Olivia asked from the couch.

Cragen looked at her, sighed, and said, "Since it's the same guy who shot you in that warehouse, Olivia. He wants to apologize, and tell you who hired him."

Elliot's eyes widened. "How did he get out..."

"He was hired by a cop, Elliot," Cragen interrupted. "They never took him to Rikers after he got out of the hospital. He's a hitman on retainer with someone in the NYPD. We stepped into a big pile of horseshit, here."

Olivia looked up at Elliot as she rose off of the couch. "Man, it's been one hell of a night, huh?" she asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Our night has only just begun, baby," Elliot said, shaking his head. Truer words had never been spoken.

**A/N: So, what cop has been hiring a hitman? What SVU affiliate was in this porn ring? Will Phillips be all right? Oh, man!**


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Another night. Another challenge. An unexpected moment. **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters belong to Dick Wolf, this story, dialogue, narrative and other written elements are sole property of TStabler©**

Olivia, sitting in a witness chair next to Elliot, had discovered all new nervous habits. She was twirling her engagement ring around her finger, with her thumb, while her right hand scraped her cross up and down her chain. Her knee was bouncing, her lips were pursed and crooked, and Elliot could feel the tension rolling off of her in waves. He sighed, wrapped his arm around her, and pulled her close.

"Baby, calm down," he said. "It's okay."

Olivia looked at him and raised her eyebrows. "Okay? How is any of this okay? We just found out that Palmieri, our backup guy, a man we've been working with, someone you've known for years, has been involved with this child-porn circle of shit-eating motherfuckers, and Goren, from Major Case, hired someone to kill me so he could investigate the murder of a decorated cop and get all the glory!"

"He hired someone to kill both of us, Liv," Elliot said, rubbing her back. "Fin was there instead, remember? I was supposed to be there."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Oh, God, El, what if you were?"

"I wasn't," Elliot said, "Baby, I wasn't. That bastard in there almost killed you, that's enough to book him, charge him, and lock him up. The fact that he's killed three other cops, and shot Phillips, it's all just icing on the fucking cake."

Olivia dropped her head to Elliot's shoulder. "Please, take me home, El."

Elliot nodded, kissed the top of her head, and rubbed her back. "As soon as Cragen says we can go, Liv," he told her. "You broke the guy's nose. We have to make sure he's not pressing charges."

"He shot me! Three fucking times!" Olivia yelled.

Elliot laughed, shook his head, and kissed her again. "I know, and he asked for us, personally, to tell us why. We did good, baby, you and me, we got the guy to talk, we got him to apologize, and then you punched him."

Cragen walked up to them, then, shaking his head. "What am I gonna do with you two, huh? You've done nothing but bend and break rules since day fucking one, and I expected Stabler to blow up in there, Benson, but not you! You're supposed to be the one with the level head, and there you are, going all hormonal and shit! What, you've got PMS, so that's your excuse to snap? You're damn lucky the guy thinks he deserved it!"

Olivia flinched as her Captain yelled at her. "I know."

"Both of you, go home. We'll handle Goren and Palmieri. Oh, before you leave, Samuels from IAB is coming up, and I need that list of names from this punk-ass piece of shit…"

"We got names," Elliot said, his brow crinkled. "He wrote them all down. They're written in his statement."

Cragen nodded once, then barked, "Then what are you still doing here? Benson, get some chocolate or something."

Olivia turned her head from her captain and swallowed back the nerves and the fear and the tears, and walked out of the bullpen.

"Did you have to do that?" Elliot asked, whispering to Cragen

"Yeah, Stabler, I did," Cragen spat back. "I can't go easy on the two of you anymore. You've broken every kind of policy imaginable, and now you're abusing our suspects, and I've done nothing! People are starting to call me Captain McSofty."

Elliot shook his head. "You didn't have to mention hormones, or PMS, Cap. You really need to take some kind of fucking sensitivity training or something, especially when you're dealing with a woman who could possibly be pregnant." He bolted from the squadroom before he could see the realization register in Cragen's eyes. Before he could see his captain blink, sigh, and feel like an ass. Before he could see Cragen smirk, then smile, then laugh.

* * *

"Okay, guys," Elliot said, turning around to face the backseat. "I know it's the middle of the week, but she didn't get her last weekend with you, so she's taking you now, and she's keeping you until Monday."

"We don't wanna go," Maureen whined.

"We wanna stay with you and Momma," Kathleen complained.

Elliot sighed. "I know, munchkin, but the judge says you have to spend six days a month with your mother."

"She's not our mother," Dickie said, meaning it.

Kathy approached the car, smiling, and said, "Thank you for this," sweetly.

"No problem," Elliot spat, bitterly.

"Hey," Olivia whispered. "Be nice."

Elliot rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he said.

"How are you doing, Kathy?" Olivia asked, meaning, since the rape.

"Better now that I know you caught him, thanks," Kathy said. "I, uh, got the invitation. I know you only invited me because you need someone to keep Bernie in check, but thanks nonetheless. It's happening kind of fast, though, no? Three weeks? Is that enough time to plan…"

"It's all done," Elliot said. "We set a date and started planning it the minute I asked her, and we've got everything ready except for the cake. Of course that's the only thing we can't agree on," he chuckled.

Kathy looked sad for a moment. "We? You both planned it, together? And you agreed on everything?"

Elliot looked at her, with a smirk. "Yeah, why?"

"It's just…you really didn't care about our wedding. You let me do it all by myself and you hated everything about it in the end," Kathy said, shaking her head.

"I was eighteen, Kathy. I didn't want to get married," Elliot said, pointedly. "I really didn't care, and I hated everything because I didn't want to do it."

"I guess that makes sense," Kathy whispered. "Well, uh, as far as the cake goes, why don't you do a few little cakes, or cupcakes? That way you won't have to decide and you won't fight over it anymore."

Olivia and Elliot looked at each other. "Maybe," Olivia said, smiling. "Thanks, Kathy."

"Anytime," Kathy replied. "Come on, kids," she said, looking into the back. "Your momma told me that you like alfredo sauce on your pasta now, so that's what I made for lunch."

Olivia's eyes widened. Kathy just referred to her as the kids momma? What was going on? She heard the kids cheer as they got out of the car and Kathy poked her head back into the window. "I'll make sure they call home, and both of your cells, before they go to sleep, and when they wake up, and I'll send you both pictures if any of them does something cute or…something."

"Thanks," Elliot said, furrowing his brow.

Kathy rolled her eyes. "Don't look at me like that, Elliot. I'm finally over the fact that I've been replaced, okay? They love her, you love her, and she's grown on me, too. She's not the wicked step-mother, I get it. I'm gonna be more like their favorite aunt than their mother now, and that's okay. I gave them to you, for good, for a reason, Elliot." Kathy turned and walked away, following the kids into her house.

Elliot started to drive away and Olivia sighed. "What bit her?"

"I don't know, but whatever it was, I think it needs to fly into the station and bite Cragen," Elliot said in response.

"What?" Olivia asked, looking at him. "El, he yelled at me for punching a guy, I deserved it!"

"Yeah, Liv," Elliot started, "But you didn't deserve what he said while he was yelling! Blaming hormones and PMS? Like, that's the only thing that could make you hit someone! He didn't even think that you could…I mean it never even crossed his mind…"

"He didn't even think that I could what?" Olivia asked angrily.

"I gave him a reason to be sorry, Liv," Elliot said, shrugging. "No one talks to you like that, baby. I don't care who it is!"

Olivia looked at him for a moment. "Oh, El," she said, shaking her head. "What did you tell him, exactly?"

"I told him that you might be pregnant," Elliot said, smirking. "I wanted to make him think about it, and I didn't want him to suspend you or stick you behind a desk."

Olivia let a hand travel lightly to her belly and rest there. "Well, we have the day off, thanks to my wayward fist," she said, with a sigh. "That's almost as bad as ass duty."

"No, Liv," Elliot said. "Having the day off is wonderful, especially since Kathy has the kids." He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "You know what that means?"

"The house is gonna be really quiet?" Olivia said with a laugh."

Elliot chuckled, low and evilly. "Baby, the house is gonna be louder this week than it has been in quite some time," he said, smugly, as they pulled up to the curb in front of their house. He got out and ran around to her side, helping her out of the car.

"What are you doing?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Being romantic," he said, "And helping my possibly pregnant fiancée into the house."

Olivia chuckled. "Okay," she laughed, "You're too much, El."

"Sometimes," he said, stopping to look at her before he opened the door, "I don't think I'm enough."

Olivia looked into his beautiful eyes, kissed him, and whispered, "You're everything." Elliot kissed her again, keeping his lips on hers as he fumbled with the doorknob. As the door swung open and they tumbled into the house, he wondered, briefly, if he could wait until they made it to the bedroom before ravaging her, and making her scream.

He couldn't.

* * *

"El, pacing back and forth like that isn't gonna make this go any faster," Olivia said, sitting on the bed. "Stop, please?"

Elliot nodded quickly as he bit the side of his thumb, and stopped moving. "Okay," he mumbled. It had been two hours since their last romp, the fourth of the night, and after a thirty minute long post-coital cuddle, he decided to run out and buy four types of pregnancy tests on his way to pick up their dinner. He made Olivia take every one of them, at the same time, and they were now anxiously waiting the results.

"Why are you so nervous? You have four kids already," Olivia said, her own knee shaking like crazy. "You should be cool as a fucking cucumber!"

"Liv," Elliot said, pacing again, "I love my kids to death, but I didn't really…I mean, this baby, if there is a baby, is gonna be me and you! You, Liv! The woman I've been in love with since before my first kid was even born, do you know how much this means to me?" He looked at her and quickly added, "I'm not saying I'm gonna love him or her more than my little guys, but I certainly love you more than I've ever loved anyone in my entire life, and a baby would…"

He was cut off when the alarm on Olivia's phone, the one she'd set to go off when the tests were done, had buzzed. "Oh, God," Olivia said, nervously. She got off the bed and grabbed Elliot's hand.

Elliot gave her hand a squeeze as he pulled her into the bathroom. He picked up the first test as she picked up the first box. "A pink line," he said.

"Okay," Olivia said. "Next one?"

"You're not gonna tell me?" he asked, shaky-voiced.

"I'll tell you all of 'em at once, baby," she said, squeezing his hand. She picked up the second box and he picked up the next test.

Elliot looked down and said, "Two blue lines."

"Wow, okay," Olivia said, with a raised eyebrow.

"A plus sign," Elliot said, grinning. "Doesn't take a genius to figure out that one," he added.

"And the last one's digital," he said, picking it up. He squeezed her hand and said, "Yes."

Olivia tugged on Elliot's hand, getting him to look at her, and he saw tears filling her eyes. "We're having a baby," she said, smiling at him. "Four positives."

"I'm three for three," Elliot said, kissing her, as his own eyes filled with tears.

Olivia wrapped her arms around him and asked, "What do you mean?"

"I wished for this, baby," he said. "Remember? On the roof? Every time I wished on those stars, it had something to do with you, and it's come true every time."

"Hey," she said, kissing him again, wiping his tears away, "If I remember correctly, I made that last wish with you."

Elliot smiled, kissing her. "You made this baby with me, too," he joked, sliding his hands down to her stomach, caressing it lightly. "This kid is gonna be so spoiled."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Not with four other kids in this house," she said.

"All of our kids are spoiled, baby, face it. We're the most giving parents ever," he said, chuckling, as he kissed her.

"Parents," Olivia whispered. "I'm gonna be a mother."

"You already are," Elliot said, unable to stop kissing her.

Kissing him back, she said, "You know what I mean, El. This child is going to grow, and live, inside of me. It's going to have…oh, God," she cried, suddenly filled with a feeling of genuine dread.

"What, Liv? Honey," Elliot said, panicking, "What is it?" he asked, plopping back onto the toilet seat.

"This is gonna be the most violent child in the world! Look at us, and both of our parents! I don't even know what I'm passing down, El, at least you do! Do you think that's why I punched that guy? Because of my father? And my mother?" Olivia asked, falling onto his lap.

Elliot sighed and gave her a sad smile. "No, honey, you punched that guy because he's a fucking asshole," he said. "You are only violent when you need to be, baby. Your genes do not define you, Liv. You're nothing like your mother, and your nothing like your father." He brushed her hair back and kissed her. "This kid'll have a temper, I'll give you that, but he or she is not going to be affected by our crazy, shitty parents. I promise you that." He leaned forward, wrapped her up in his arms, and kissed her, so passionately her toes curled.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I needed to hear that."

Elliot laughed as he picked her up and rose off the toilet. "Anytime, baby," he said, carrying her to the bed.

Olivia sighed when he placed her on the mattress and gently plopped on top of her, tugging on her robe's tie. "El," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You can't be…"

"Liv, we just found out that our little hunch was correct, you're having my baby," he said, kissing his way down her body as the robe fell open. "Our baby. We're celebrating." He pulled off his shirt and kicked off his sweatpants and slid into her in one, smooth move, making her cry out. "God, I love this," he gasped.

"Damn," Olivia said, "Me, too."

Elliot kissed her as he began moving, in and out, deep and hard, listening to her moans and cries. "I love you, and I love this baby," he said, moving his hand over her belly and resting his palm over it. He bent his head and kissed her again.

"We love you, too, Daddy," Olivia said, letting a moan slip out between words.

And as Elliot made Olivia scream, for the fifth time that night, back at the station Munch and Fin finally emerged from the interrogation room, in shock. "Uh, Cap," Fin said, scratching his head. "Goren just dropped a bomb on us."

"A big one," Munch added. "He has another guy working for him, on a job tonight."

Fin handed Goren's statement to Cragen and said, "He gave us the name of the targeted vic, and his motive."

Cragen looked down at the file and his eyes widened. "Jesus Christ," he said. "Go. Now!"

Fin's eyes widened. "Cap, shouldn't we call Major Case? This isn't the…"

Cragen interrupted, shouting, "Go, Fin! She's got the kids!"

**A/N: Whaaa? Reviews? Anyone? Beuller? Also, I do, if you've noticed, take fic requests! Send me a PM!! **


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Surpises, conversations, and family fluff.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf; this saga, and everything that goes it, belongs to TStabler©**

"What happened?" Olivia yelled running into the bullpen.

Four little bodies ran over to her, jumping and leaping into her arms. "Momma," Lizzie cried, grabbing onto Olivia for dear life. Kathleen and Maureen were climbing on her shoulders, and Dickie wrapped himself around her leg.

Kathy, watching from the side of the room, cried silently. She knew they'd never love her like that. And that they never did.

Elliot ran in and saw his kids climbing all over Olivia and he slowly peeled them off of her. "Guys," he said. "Momma can't…I mean, really, you shouldn't climb on Momma like that. Not…wow, I can't do this," he said with a chuckle, having a problem picking up his twins.

"What's wrong with Momma?" Kathleen asked, letting go of Olivia.

Maureen tilted her head. "Is she hurt like last time?"

"No, honey-bear," Olivia laughed. "I'm not hurt. I'm just, uh, I probably shouldn't carry all of you at once for a while."

"Yeah," Elliot scoffed quietly. "Seven months."

Kathy, hearing that, gasped, "Oh, my God!"

Olivia turned around and her eyes widened. "Kathy," she said, "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked, hoping to spin the attention back away from her.

"We're fine, I'm fine," Kathy said, almost bitterly. "Fin and Munch came and got me and the kids out of the house. They said someone was going to come try to kidnap me, and probably the kids, to get to Elliot."

Olivia paled and fell into the chair behind her. "What?" she asked. "Why? What reason could he possibly…"

"Glory," Elliot spat, "Liv, baby, that's all Goren ever wanted. Glory. He was probably gonna have them taken somewhere, have his guy tell him where, and pretend to follow non-existent evidence and find them. It'd be front page news if he saved the family of a fellow detective."

Munch sighed, then said, "Yeah, pretty much the story we got."

"So," Fin said, watching the kids gripping Olivia and Elliot. "You guys can, uh, go."

"Fin," Olivia said, looking at him. "Are you okay?"

Fin shook his head. "I just, uh, I didn't wanna go. I told Cragen we should toss it up to Major Crimes, since it wasn't an SVU case, and all I kept thinkin' when he said the kids were there, was what if my hesitation…what if we were too late because I…"

"Fin," Elliot said, Dickie now resting over his shoulder, "Don't do that, man. You weren't. You got there, and my kids and Kathy are fine. Do you have any idea who was supposed to go after them?"

Munch shook his head and said, "We got guys in the house, now, waiting for him. We'll call you when we know. Enjoy the rest of your day…"

"Hold it," Cragen said, stepping out of his office. "Can I see you for a minute, Benson?"

Olivia closed her eyes for a long moment, then put Maureen down and walked into the captain's office. She closed the door behind her and sighed as she sat in one of the cushy, leather chairs in front of his desk. "Look, Cap, I'm sorry I slugged the guy, but…"

"Benson, why are you apologizing? I called you in here so I could do that," Cragen said, folding his arms as he leaned against the desk.

"I'm sorry?" Olivia repeated, this time questioning.

Cragen chuckled. "In case you haven't noticed, there aren't many females under my command, here. I don't like yelling at you the way I yell at Stabler, or Munch, or Fin, and I certainly don't expect a violent eruption from someone so…classy."

Olivia blushed a little. Her captain just called her classy, which was a very big compliment coming from him.

Cragen sighed and explained. "I don't really know how to deal with you, Benson, and when you get angry, I do what every red-blooded, American man does. I blame PMS, because it's easier than trying to believe that I'm gonna have this problem with you again, on a regular basis. I'm sorry, Olivia. It was insensitive and I should have known better than to treat you differently than the rest of the crew. Next time I'll just fucking curse at you."

"I'd like that," Olivia laughed. "But, uh, before you decide to do anything next time, Cap, you should know, uh, I need to take it easy for a while."

Cragen's eyes lit up as he looked at her and he smiled broadly. "You're gonna have a baby, aren't you?"

Olivia smiled and nodded. "Yeah," she said, "Me and Elliot, we are."

"Desk duty it is, for…uh…how long?" Cragen asked, furrowing his brow.

"Six months, Cap. I'm probably around two months pregnant now, and I'll take leave at the beginning of my eighth month."

Cragen smiled softly at her. "Okay, a desk then. For both of you."

Olivia looked up at her captain, shocked. "What? But Elliot…"

"Needs to be there for his wife and kid, Olivia," Cragen interrupted. "I'm not sending him out there without you, and he'll hurt me if I leave you in here with someone other than him. You two will handle phone calls, paperwork, interrogations, and the press. Trust me, you'll be plenty busy."

Cragen looped an arm around her and gave her a gentle hug, then led her out of the office. She walked back over to Elliot and wrapped her arms around him, pulling the kids into a group hug. Kathy, sighing at the sight, shook her head and smiled. It was truly pathetic, but if only one of them was gonna be happy, she was happy it was Elliot.

* * *

"Elbows off the table, Mo," Olivia said, smiling at the little girl.

"Okay, Momma," the blonde said, immediately moving her arms.

Elliot looked at Olivia and smiled, leaned over, and grazed his hand over her belly. "Pretty soon, baby, we'll have another little one calling you Momma," he said, kissing her.

"I know," Olivia said with a smile. "I still can't believe it, El."

Elliot kissed her again, nuzzling her lightly. "Believe it, Liv," he whispered to her. He looked up at the waiter and then saw something, over the waiter's shoulder. "What the hell are they doing here? Together?"

"Who?" Olivia furrowed her brow, and tried to see over the waiter as he took the kids' orders.

"Kathy," Elliot said, "And Frank."

Olivia's mouth dropped and she hardly heard the waiter ask her what she wanted. "Uh, I'll have the, uh, what the hell is she doing with your brother?"

"Excuse me, Ma'am?" the waiter asked.

"Oh," Olivia said. "Can I please have the stuffed flounder? Thanks."

Elliot nodded. "I'll have the same," he said, still staring at the table at which his brother was grinning, like an idiot, at his ex-wife.

The waiter nodded and walked away, and Olivia stifled a laugh. "Elliot," she said, getting his attention. "You just ordered fish, honey."

Elliot nodded, and said, "I know, Liv. I like fish, when it's cooked." He got up, casually, and walked over to his brother, slapping him on the shoulder. "Frankie, buddy! I need to talk to you about the wedding."

"Oh! Hey, shit-for-brains," Frank said, looking up at his brother. "Can it wait? I'm kind of…" he paused, and saw the look Elliot was giving him. "Okay, uh, Kathy, I will be right back."

Elliot nodded at Kathy and took Frankie by the collar, pulling him away form the table. "What do you think you're doing? You're sleeping with the enemy!"

"I'm not sleeping with her! Not yet, anyway," Frank said, licking his lips and smirking. "Hey, you know this: what's she like in bed?"

"Pretty awful, actually," Elliot said, shuddering at the memory, "But why are you with her, Frank? What are you trying to pull?"

Frank sighed. "I'm not trying to pull anything, doofus. She asked me out, she's the one who's clearly trying to pull something, and I, being a good brother, am trying to find out what it is. You know I would never date the ex! That's like, rule number one in the Brotherhood Codebook!"

"You have dated every one of my ex-girlfriends, you asswipe," Elliot said, rolling his eyes.

"You only had like, two," Frank spat. "And that was in high school, and I only dated them after you got married, when I assumed you wouldn't mind! Listen, fucker, about the wedding, as your best man I am in charge of the bachelor…"

"No strippers," Elliot said, pointing a finger at him.

"But, dude, you have not seen this girl!" Frank cried.

Elliot shook his head, adamantly, and said, "I don't care if she's Olivia's twin sister. I don't want strippers anywhere at that party. If you're gonna hire one, I'll leave when she gets there, man."

"Fine," Frank said, smirking. "More Dakota for me."

"Her name is Dakoata?" Elliot said, raising an eyebrow. "Like the states?"

Frank nodded. "She goes from North to South and back again in less than seven seconds," he said, licking his lips.

"You and I can not possibly be related," Elliot remarked, rolling his eyes. "Go find out what Kathy wants, and keep it in your pants. Trust me, if you sleep with her, you will regret it, almost immediately."

Frank gave him a mock salute and headed back toward Kathy as Elliot walked back to his family. "Okay," he said, sitting. "Frank is apparently on a mission. He thinks Kathy's up to something."

"When isn't she?" Olivia asked, cutting into her flounder.

Elliot shrugged as he took a bite of her fish, earning a reproachful look from his fiancée and smirked. "What?" he asked, innocently.

"You got the same damn thing!" Olivia laughed.

"I wanna see if I like it before I touch it," Elliot chuckled in response. "Oh, and uh, he wanted to get a stripper for my bachelor party," he whispered into Olivia's ear.

Olivia shrugged, and said, "So? Casey's getting me one."

"Like hell she is," Elliot said, fuming, dropping his fork.

Olivia chuckled as she leaned over and kissed him. "That'll teach you to steal food from a pregnant woman," she said, winking. "I assume you said no, or told him you'd leave if one showed up?"

Breathing again, and resuming his eating, Elliot nodded. "How'd you know?" he asked, chuckling.

"Because," Olivia said, stealing a bite of Elliot's fish in an act of vengeance, "That's what I told Casey."

Elliot looked at Olivia. "Will you eat your own damn fish, baby?" he asked before they both burst into a fit of hysterics.

Maureen looked up at Olivia and Elliot and wondered why they were laughing, and she asked, "Momma, Daddy, what's so funny?"

"Sweetie, your momma and I are just incredibly happy," Elliot said, taking Olivia's hand. Then he looked at Olivia, glanced down at the kids, and he said, "And we have something to tell you."

"How do you guys feel about having a new brother or sister?" Olivia asked, meeting the eyes of each little face.

Dickie piped up, "Really?"

"Yeah, bud," Elliot said, reaching over and scruffing his hair. "Really."

Maureen and Kathleen looked at each other and said, "Awesome!"

"Can we help name it?" Lizzie asked, clapping.

"Sure," Elliot said, "But we are not naming him or her after superheroes, cartoon characters, video game characters, or fictional people!"

Lizzie looked down. "But Hermione is a very pretty name," she said, sadly.

"I guess they told the kids about the baby," Kathy said, sighing, as she looked over from her table.

"Yeah," Frank said, wiping his mouth with his napkin. "So, tell me again why this all has to be a secret? I mean, you want to be a part of their lives, you want to make up for the hell you put them through, just…"

"No," Kathy interrupted. "They'd never take it. Not from me. Just take the check, and pay for it, okay?"

"Okay," Frank said, shrugging. "Kathy, they have very expensive…"

"I don't care," Kathy said, again, trying not to cry. "Elliot means a lot to me, and he and my kids are happier than I've ever seen them. He belongs with her, Frankie. He always has, I've always known that. I wanna give him the wedding he should have had…could have had if I hadn't trapped him."

Frankie gave Kathy a sad smile and said, "You wanna come back to my place, Kathy?"

"What?" Kathy asked, surprised.

"I think Elliot's wrong," Frank said, smiling brightly now. "I don't think I'd regret anything."

**A/N: What did Kathy just agree to pay for? What happens when Olivia and Elliot find out? And how will Elliot react to being on ass-duty with Olivia? Review**!!


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: When he's handed desk duty, Mount Elliot erupts, and Olivia gets a big surprise...from Kathy.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters belong to Dick Wolf; this saga, and everything that goes it, belongs to TStabler©**

"You can't just expect me to sit here and do nothing all damn day!" Elliot spat, looking at Cragen.

"I can, and I do!" Cragen yelled back. "You'll be very busy, Stabler. That's one massive pile of paperwork on your desk and there are a ton of computer searches to run and boxes of evidence to be logged," he explained, yelling. "Besides, I figured you'd wanna be here with Olivia. I could always leave her hear with Fin. Or how about I go get Cassidy from Narc..."

"No!" Elliot barked. "I'm cool with the ass-duty!"

Cragen smirked, shaking his head. "I'll be in my office if you need me. Someone come get me when Munch and Fin come back with Tibbils."

Olivia watched the captain close the door behind him, then turned toward Elliot, who looked pissed off. "I didn't ask him to make you..."

"I know you didn't, Olivia," Elliot spat, harsher than he meant to.

"Okay," Olivia said, her eyes narrowing. "Just as long as you know that, _Elliot_." She picked up a file and started reading, choosing to ignore Elliot for the moment.

Elliot did everything from that moment on with a fuming temper. He picked up files angrily, he slammed things down and nearly punched drawers closed after yanking them open. Not talking, being the only ones in the room, made the noises and the attitude aggravating.

"Ya know what, just fucking go, El," Olivia spat violently after he slapped the stapler for the seventh time. "I'll tell Cragen I don't need a fucking babysitter, and you can go!"

"Liv," Elliot said with a sigh, "It's not that I don't wanna be here with you and taking care of you, I do! I just wish he would have told me before! Munch and Fin are out there picking up a guy that we tracked down. That's our collar, Liv! Our case! He could have..."

"Ow," Olivia interjected, clutching her head.

Elliot ran over to her, panic stricken, and pulled her into his arms. "What happened? What is it, baby? The baby?"

Olivia dropped her hands, folded her arms, and raised an eyebrow.

Elliot furrowed his brow and then chuckled. "Okay, I get it. I do need to be with you. You proved it. That was good, but don't you dare do that to me, ever again, Liv."

Olivia smirked at him and handed him another file. "Get to work, desk-boy!"

"Ya know," Elliot said, looking around furtively. "We're the only ones here and Cragen isn't coming out of that office anytime soon." He leaned over and gently cupped a breast, grazing his thumb over her nipple.

"Anyone could walk in," Olivia said as her eyes fluttered shut. "We can't...I hate you," she gasped, when he tweaked her beaded bud through her shirt and bra.

"That only adds to the excitement," Elliot whispered. "Knowing we could get caught any minute," he said, trailing his hand down her body, rubbing lightly between her legs through the materials of her clothes.

Olivia blinked, her head lolled back, and she let out a tiny moan. "Elliot," she said. It was barely a whisper. She made his name sound like a sacred secret, a prayer.

Elliot leaned over to kiss her, but footsteps heading toward the bullpen ripped him away from her. "Later," he whispered with a wink, walking back over to his desk.

"Uh, hello?" a messenger said, wandering into the squadroom. "I'm looking for a Benson-Stabler."

"Wait. Benson or Stabler?" Elliot asked, confused, furrowing his brow.

"Both, sir. It's hyphenated," the boy said. "Olivia Benson-hyphen-Stabler."

Olivia raised an eyebrow and cleared her throat. "I guess that's me, then," she said.

"Okay," the boy said, handing her the package. "Sign here, please?"

Olivia signed the clipboard and looked at the think envelope. "It's from the reception hall, El."

"We didn't pay them yet," Elliot said, scratching his head. "They said they weren't sending us anything until we paid them."

Olivia opened the envelope and gasped. "Oh, my God. Look at this," she said, handing the cover letter to Elliot.

"Dear Mister Stabler, due to your prompt and full payment we have upgraded your cocktail hour package and have included a free open bar for the duration of your reception. Thank you again for choosing The Glass House for your wedding reception, and it was a pleasure working with your wedding planner. Frank was very personable." He put the letter down and looked at Olivia. "Frank can't even afford to pay his rent, who the hell did this?"

"Kathy," Olivia said, shocked, as she read a second letter. "She used the money she got from the divorce settlement."

Elliot took the letter out of her hands and read it, almost crying. "She said she knew about you the whole time, and that's what made her so bitter. She says she's not gonna stand in the way of what was meant to be and this is her way of apologizing."

"A nice card would have been fine," Olivia said, wiping her eyes. "We were so worried about how we were going to pay for this, and then she just..."

"I know," Elliot said, kissing her forehead. "I'm just as shocked as you are."

"She still loves you," Olivia said, into Elliot's chest.

"I know that, too," Elliot whispered. "And she knows that I don't love her. She's letting me go, Liv."

Olivia nodded, holding him tightly, and Elliot silently wondered why the hell Frank would be keeping a secret like this from him. He smiled, chuckled to himself, and kissed the top of Olivia's head. He just realized. "My brother's an idiot," Elliot said with a laugh, "But at least he'll be a happy idiot."

"What are you talking about?" Olivia asked, raising her head.

"Frank is sleeping with Kathy," Elliot chuckled. He kissed Olivia again, then returned to his desk as he said, "We have paperwork to do."

* * *

"And that is how the Great Grumbling Gargoyle saved its land from eternal darkness. The end," Olivia said, shutting the book.

"Momma," Lizzie asked. "Is it a boy or a girl?"

"The gargoyle?" Olivia said with a furrowed brow.

Kathleen piped up, "No, the new baby."

"Oh," Olivia said, making a face. "I don't know guys. Right now it's, uh, it's just a baby."

"Can it be a girl?" Maureen asked. "One brother is enough," she said, yawning.

"Maybe its twins like me and Dickie," Lizzie said yawning.

Olivia's eyes widened. She hadn't thought of that and Elliot was pretty damn fertile. "The doctor will tell us in a few weeks, girls." She got off of Kathleen's bed and kissed each child.

"Momma," Maureen called before she could get to the door, "What's the wedding gonna be like?"

Olivia smiled. "It's gonna be amazing, Maury. Next Sunday. It'll be magical."

"Like Harry Potter?" Lizzie asked rolling over with a yawn.

"Yeah," Olivia laughed. "Just like Harry Potter. Goodnight." Olivia closed the door behind her and turned, right into Elliot.

"Now she's gonna expect wands, dragons, and Quidditch," Elliot laughed, kissing Olivia.

Olivia chuckled. "Sorry about that," she said, losing herself in his embrace.

"It really is gonna be magical, though. You're right," Elliot said. "When you walk down that aisle, in the church, and we make this little family of ours legal, it'll be the most magical moment of my life."

"Mine, too, El," Olivia said, kissing him.

Elliot pulled her into the bedroom and toyed with the hem of her top. "Well, uh, maybe it'll be the second most magical moment of my life."

"What was the first, then?" Olivia purred, slipping down Elliot's sweat pants.

"April twentieth, nineteen-eighty-eight, twelve-thirty-four in the morning," Elliot declared, pulling Olivia's pants off, too, and gently pushing her onto the bed. "The moment I looked down at you and knew that if I didn't find you again, I'd be an incomplete man. The moment we first..."

"Made love," Olivia said, kissing him. "I love you, El," she groaned, feeling him push inside of her.

"I love you baby," Elliot replied, moaning as he moved. "And Sunday, eight years to the day we met, I'll promise in front of God, and whoever else is listening, to love you forever."

* * *

"I can't believe you really paid for their reception," Frank said, pulling Kathy closer to him in the bed.

Kathy nuzzled to him. "It was his money anyway. Technically, I was just giving it back to him."

"But still," Frank said, kissing her, "It's really something. It shows you support them, you're over him, and you're moving on."

"Yeah," Kathy said, kissing Frank. "On to better things," she winked. She sighed as she rested her head on his chest, and her eyes twinkled with the knowledge that Frank was very, very wrong. She smirked, chuckled to herself, and closed her eyes, envisioning the perfect way to really congratulate Elliot and Olivia on Sunday.

**A/N: Next "noche":: The wedding. What is Kathy really up to, and does it put a damper on the ceremony? Read and review, and thank you to all for doing so! **


	33. Chapter 33

**A/N: The wedding, the reception, and Kathy does something completely unforgivable. So much drama for one little night.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

Elliot was a nervous wreck. He was standing by the pulpit, shaking like a leaf, next to his brother Frankie, Fin, and Munch. He had tuned out the low murmuring of the people in the pews long ago. He'd stopped listening to horrible organ rendition of Josh Groban's _You Raise Me Up_, and he certainly stopped looking at Kathy, in the second pew, eyeing him like a piece of meat. He didn't hear or see anything except the doors at the back of the church as he stood waiting for them to open.

They did.

His daughters walked in first, in their matching pink dresses, tossing white, yellow, and pink rose petals to the floor. They lined up along the other side of the platform and he smiled at each one of them. Then, his son ran down the aisle carrying a white pillow with a black box strapped to it. He reached the front and tugged on Elliot's pant leg. "Here, Daddy," he said, holding the pillow up to him.

"Thanks, bud," Elliot said, winking at his son. He unstrapped the box and handed it to Frank. And then, his heart stopped.

Everyone stood up, and the Wedding March began to play.

In she walked in the simple, long white trainless gown she'd chosen. Captain Cragen, the only male figure in her life that she could even consider a father, held her arm as he led her down the aisle. He stopped at the front, next to Elliot, and slowly joined their hands, nodding to the priest that he had given Olivia to Elliot. He stepped aside, trying not to cry, and walked to take his spot next to Munch.

The priest stepped in front of Olivia and Elliot, cleared his throat, and signaled that everyone could now be seated. He looked at Olivia, but her eyes were focused only on Elliot. He turned to Elliot, only to find that his eyes were glued to Olivia's. He smirked, deciding to speak anyway, even though they wouldn't hear a single thing he said.

"Welcome, family, friends and loved ones," the priest said brightly. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Elliot and Olivia. You have come here to share in this lifelong commitment they shall make to one another. You have come to offer your love and support to them as you witness this union. You have come to allow Elliot and Olivia to start their married life together surrounded by the people who mean the most to them, and that alone is something special. A gift."

Elliot gave Olivia's hand a light squeeze and smiled at her. Olivia returned his smile, and his squeeze, and they both thought they heard someone beside them mumbling something about marriage.

The priest spoke louder as he continued, "Marriage is the greatest and most challenging adventure of our lives. No ceremony, such as this, can create your marriage for you. Only you both can do that. You must do that with love and patience; with dedication and perseverance; through talking and listening, helping and supporting and believing in each other; through tenderness and laughter; through learning to forgive, learning to appreciate your differences, and by learning to make the important things matter, and to let go of the things that do not matter. What this ceremony can do is to witness, affirm, and proclaim in the presence of God, the choice you have made to stand together as partners for life."

Elliot and Olivia smiled, big smiles, as the priest's words hit their ears. They have already done all of that, haven't they?

"Now, I understand you have both written your own vows," the priest said. "Please, Elliot, take Olivia's hand. Oh, you've already got it, have you?" he laughed. "May I have the ring?" he asked, watching Frank open the black box and hand him Olivia's ring. The priest held the ring up then held it out to Elliot.

Elliot took it with his free hand, as it shook lightly.

"Elliot, please, make your promise to Olivia," the priest demanded.

"Olivia," Elliot said. "Liv, baby, you have been my constant friend and partner, and my love for so long. We've already created a bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us." He squeezed her hand tighter, trying to keep himself from crying. "I promise to honor and respect you for all that you have been, all that you are and all that you will become. I promise to take pride in who we are, alone and together. I promise to challenge you, and to accept challenges from you. I promise to protect you from anything and anyone that could ever hurt you. I will give you all of my love freely and unconditionally. I promise you, Liv, from the bottom of my heart, to keep you as my wife, friend, and partner for the rest of our lives." He slipped the ring onto her finger and couldn't see her face anymore. She was just a blur through his tears, but when he blinked, the tears fell, and there she was.

"The other ring, please?" the priest asked, holding his hand out to Frank. And he, again, held the ring up, and then out to Olivia. "Olivia, please make the same promise to Elliot," he commanded.

Olivia blinked her own tears out of her eyes. "Elliot," she said, smiling at him, "You have been my constant friend and partner, and my love for so long. We have a strong bond of honesty, respect, and trust; one that withstands the tides of time and change, and grows along with us." She squeezed his hand tighter, as she parroted his words, and actions, and emotions. "I promise to honor and respect you for all that you have been, all that you are and all that you will become. I promise to take pride in who we are, alone and together. I promise to challenge you, and to accept challenges from you. I promise to protect you from anything and anyone that could ever hurt you. I will give you all of my love freely and unconditionally. I promise you, El, from the bottom of my heart, to keep you as my husband, friend, and partner for the rest of our lives." She slipped his ring onto his finger, and once it was on, he gripped her hand impossibly tight and let out a laugh/sob.

The priest smiled, then looked down at the couple. "Olivia and Elliot, by the power of your love and commitment to each other, and the power vested in me by God, I now pronounce you husband and wife!" He looked at Elliot and said, "Well, son, you may kiss your beautiful..." he paused as he watched Elliot pull Olivia impossibly close and kiss her, so deeply that it might not be appropriate for church. "Bride," the priest concluded, smirking. "Ladies and Gentleman, Mister and Misses Elliot Stabler. Go with God, my children."

The Glass House was decorated with beautiful white and pink bows, and bouquets of pink, yellow and white roses. The ballroom was filled with fellow officers, friends, and family. Bernie had congratulated them five times, the kids were running around telling anyone who would listen that Olivia was "really our Momma now." Cragen cried, Munch told the entire wedding party about UFO's and the government link to Area 51, and Fin gave them an amazingly long speech. Frankie's toast as best man was heartwarming, the first dance made everyone cry, and the food was delicious. It was a shock to everyone, though, when Kathy walked up to the head table, gave Olivia and Elliot each a hug, then raised her glass.

"Excuse me," Kathy began, getting the attention of the people. "I'm sure you all expected me to be angry today. Bitter, resentful, vengeful," she said. "But I'm not. I see the way you two look at each other, the love and light in your eyes, and I see the way the children adore you, Olivia. You make them very happy, and you will take such great care of them. better than I could, or would. And the new life you two are bringing into this world is very lucky. He or she will have amazing parents. Congratulations," she said, raising her glass higher and swigging back her champagne.

Everyone toasted, and Kathy watched, with eager eyes, as Olivia drank her water, and she smirked.

"That was really nice," Olivia said, linking her hand with Elliot's.

"Yeah, baby," Elliot replied. "It was. Kathy," he said, with a smile, looking at his ex-wife, "You have no idea what that means to us. You are the mother of four of my children, and I need you to be a friend for that reason. You really aren't who I thought you were, Kathy. I am so thankful that you..."

"Elliot," Kathy interrupted, suddenly feeling very guilty, "Please, don't thank me, really."

Olivia suddenly clutched Elliot's arm. "I...I don't feel so good," she said, her head wobbling and her speech slurring.

"Liv, baby," Elliot said, panicking. "What's the matter?"

"El," Olivia gasped, holding her hand to her stomach as her head fell limply to Elliot's shoulder, "Something's wrong," she mumbled.

Kathy, watching this and panicking herself, yelled, "She need's a doctor, Elliot! Now!"

"I know that!" Elliot yelled, standing and pulling Olivia out of her chair and scooping her into his arms. "Oh, God, Liv, baby!"

"She's been drugged, Elliot," Kathy said, her eyes dropping. "You need to get her to the hospital, now. She could lose the baby."

Elliot's eyes widened, then narrowed. How the hell would Kathy know?

Frankie and the kids were sitting, stunned. Cragen, Fin, and Munch were pacing back and forth. Bernie was crying. Casey and Alex were trying not to cry. This was all happening, in the waiting room, with everyone still in their wedding clothes. They were all waiting for someone, anyone, to tell them something. As the hours passed, Casey suggested someone go in there and "find out what the fuck happened!"

"I'll go," Cragen said, preparing to show his badge to whoever needed to see it. He forced his way into the ward, marched up to the desk and said, "I need to know the condition of Olivia Ben...Stabler. She's my, er, daughter."

"Sir," the woman said, looking up at him, "Your daughter and son-in-law are in room one-thirty-six. But I really..." she blinked and he was gone.

Cragen pushed open the door expecting the worst, but found Olivia sitting up, clutching Elliot's hand, laughing about the fun they were having until she drank the water. "Elliot!" he cried. "Olivia," he said, softly, looking at her, "What happened? What's going on? We're all worried sick out there!"

"Hey, Cap," Elliot said. "She just woke up. She was drugged, uh, Aflatoxin or afla...something. It was in her water," he said, his voice suddenly losing the cheerful quality it had. His eyes had become cold. "Kathy," he said, gritting his teeth.

"How's the baby?" Cragen said, still panicking.

Olivia took a deep breath and let it slowly. "Fine," she said with a small smile. "Absolutely fine. Elliot got me here in time, and whatever it was hadn't metabolized yet."

"Kathy told the medic what drug it was as soon as they arrived, so they were treating her in the ambulance," Elliot explained. "She and the baby are fine. It's a girl," he added, smiling. "They told us it's a girl."

Cragen smiled and said, "I'm gonna go tell everyone you're okay. And, Elliot, Kathy was arrested, and she willingly told us everything. She won't..."

"What are you charging her with, exactly?" Olivia asked, interrupting.

Cragen's eyes narrowed to bare slits, his jaw tightened, and he puffed his chest out a bit as he said, "Attempted murder."

**A/N: Oh, my! And just when we thought she was being nice! Reviews? You shall get the honeymoon (wear your protective headgear and watch out for falling smut) Then, a very interesting case, and some cute, fluffy, family time!**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Sorry for the super-long wait! I was struggling with writer's block on this story. =) The first bit of the honeymoon! Everyone wearing their helmets?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

"I can't believe they held the room," Olivia said, climbing out of the pedi-taxi and into Elliot's waiting arms.

"You were only in the hospital for two days, Liv," he said with a shrug. "We had the place booked for a month, they weren't going to give it away because we had a medical emergency. We're cops, kitten," he said, winking at her.

Olivia chuckled and followed Elliot into the hotel as the bellhop grabbed their luggage. "This place is amazing," she gasped, looking around.

"Well, Liv, honeymoon's are supposed to be amazing," Elliot declared. "Wait till you see the room, baby." He signed his name at the desk and then led Olivia toward the elevator, still followed closely by the boy with their bags.

Olivia chuckled. "We're on our honeymoon," she said, a hint of disbelief in her voice.

"You sound surprised," Elliot said, pulling her close as the metal doors slid shut.

"I am," Olivia said, dropping her head to his shoulder. "You and I, El, were not supposed to be anything more than..."

"Una noche de pasión," Elliot said, in a bad accent, laughing. "I know, Liv. But one night turned into our whole lives. I knew, from the second I met you, that you belonged with me. And here you are, baby. Right where you belong." He smirked and leaned in closer, capturing her lips in a brilliant kiss that made the bellhop uncomfortable.

The doors slid open a few moments later and the bellhop cleared his throat. "Eh, Señor, este es su piso," he said.

"Right," Elliot said, pulling away from Olivia breathlessly. "Gracias."

"De nada," the boy said, following them out with their luggage.

Elliot, clutching tightly to Olivia's hand, slid the card-key down the slot on the door and pushed the door open. While Olivia marveled at their room, Elliot tipped the boy and closed the door. He saw Olivia looking out the window, gazing at the sandy beach below, and he walked over, slowly wrapping his arms around her. "Welcome to the beginning of your future, Misses Stabler."

"It's so beautiful here," Olivia said, wrapping her arms around Elliot's.

"It's Mexico," Elliot said. "What did you expect?" he asked, dropping his head to her neck. He kissed a spot behind her ear, and then she was gone.

Olivia moaned, rolling her neck forward. "Don't start something you can't finish, El," she chuckled. She felt his hands reaching for her jeans button. He flicked it open, then grabbed her zipper, pushing it down.

"I'm not," he said hotly into her ear. "I totally intend to finish this, baby," he said to her. "And then start all over again."

Olivia laughed as Elliot nibbled on her neck and pushed down her pants. "El," she moaned, feeling his fingers slip into her panties, "We're in front of the window."

Elliot laughed. "On the sixth floor, baby," he said, "The only person who can see us from down there is Superman, and, uh, that's me." He slipped her panties down and brought them up to her shirt. "I'm up here, not down there."

"Okay, Superman," Olivia said, turning around, "You're really overdressed."

"Do something about it," Elliot said, his tone daring, demanding. He had her tee shirt off and her bra unhooked in seconds, and laughed when Olivia's hands immediately flew to his belt. With her completely naked, Elliot kissed her deeply as her hands worked his clothes off. "You wanna test my theory?" he asked, whispering into her ear.

"What?" Olivia asked, in a moan, as her eyes fluttered shut. Elliot had backed her up into the balcony window.

"I'm gonna make love to you, baby," he told her. "Right here, up against the window. See if anyone sees us."

Olivia laughed. "I don't think so," she said, trying to push him back toward the bed.

"I do," Elliot said, his voice low and gravelly. He turned her around and forced her arms up. "Put your hands on the glass, Liv," he told her, a smirk on his face, though she couldn't see it. Olivia, with a bit of trepidation, did as she was told. "Now lean back into me baby, and spread 'em."

"You gonna frisk me?" Olivia joked.

"Yeah, actually," Elliot joked back. He ran both hands through her hair, pulling it back lovingly and scratching her scalp gently. His fingertips trailed over her shoulders, down her back, over her ass, down her legs then back up the front of them, over her stomach, his palms opened a bit and caressed her tiny baby-bump, and then he cupped her breasts, squeezing and teasing her nipples.

"Jesus, El," Olivia gasped, her head dropping back to lean on his chest, "You're driving me crazy."

Elliot dropped a kiss to her forehead and moved one hand down to her slit, running up and down, testing her. She moaned at his touch and he smirked. She was more than ready. He spun her around, hiked her legs around his waist and carried her over to the bed.

As he put her down, Olivia looked up at him, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "I thought you wanted to do..."

"Do I really look that insane to you?" Elliot joked. "No baby. We'll use the bed, the hot tub, our private beach in the middle of the night, and the elevator. Not up against the damn window."

"The elevator, huh?" Olivia asked, raking her nails up and down Elliot's back as he positioned himself at her entrance.

Elliot smirked. "I have plans for you, Misses Stabler," he said with a wink, pushing slowly into her.

The most wonderful noise of satisfaction came out of her mouth and Elliot returned it. "I love you," she said, wrapping herself tighter around him as he began to move.

"Oh, baby, I love you, too," Elliot said. He dropped his head to kiss her as he scooped his hips, thrusting in and out and really beginning their honeymoon.

* * *

"And the frog and the hog on the log in the fog lived happily ever after," Frank said, closing the book and getting off of Maureen's bed.

"You didn't do the voices," Kathleen whined.

Lizzie, through a yawn, said, "Momma does the voices."

Frank looked at the sleepy faces of his nieces and asked, "You really love her don't you?"

"Of course," Maureen said, yawning. "She's our momma, Uncle Frankie. She loves us, and she loves loving us."

"I know she does," Frank said, smiling softly. "Get some sleep you guys. I have to make a phone..."

"Uncle Frank?" Kathleen asked before he could finish. "Why did our old mother try to hurt Momma and our sister?"

Frank looked confused. "I really don't know, honey. If I knew she was going to do anything like that, I would have stopped her."

"We all would have," Lizzie mumbled.

Frank chuckled. "Yes, we would have. But your momma's okay, and she's having a wonderful time on vacation with Daddy. They'll be back in a week."

"Did you love our old mother?" Maureen asked, her eyes closing.

"I thought I...could have," Frank said. "But no, Maury. I didn't. Not really." He turned out their light and stepped out into the hall. "Goodnight, girls," he said as he shut the door. He walked down the stairs, after checking on Dickie, then reached for the house phone as he sat on the couch. He dialed the number he'd committed to memory in case he needed to call his brother at work, and he waited. "Uh, hello? Is this the Special Victims Unit?" he asked. "No, uh, this is Frank Stabler, Elliot Stabler's brother. I have information about the attack on Olivia Benson. Uh, Olivia Stabler. Yes. I know where she got the drugs." He paused, sighed, and closed his eyes. "I gave them to her. No, I'll wait. At his house, yes. Thank you." He hung up the phone and waited for the detective to come ask him questions, and he hoped they wouldn't hold him responsible.

* * *

"Baby?" Elliot called into the bathroom, smirking.

"Almost done, El," Olivia shouted back. "Gimme one second. You need something?"

Elliot chuckled. "No, I just wanted to tell you that, uh, I have a surprise for you. It's on the bed."

Olivia came out of the bathroom, then, in a towel, and said, "You know I hate surpri...oh, my God."

"Wear it tonight," he told her, wrapping his arms around her. "You have to wear it tonight. I know it'll fit, I got it a size bigger for the baby."

"El," Olivia gasped, reaching out a hand to touch the violet silk, "Where did you find it?"

Elliot kissed her still-wet shoulder and said, "A specialty shop in SoHo. They only had two left. It's considered vintage now, can you believe that?"

Olivia sniffled, her fingers sliding up the dress to the rhinestone studded bodice. "You are the most amazing man in the entire world. Wait! How could you possibly afford..."

"Don't worry about that, okay?" Elliot said. "I never want to hear you ask me how I'm affording things, Liv. I'm gonna spoil you rotten, and you're gonna love it, and I don't want you to ever worry about the money, okay?"

Olivia nodded, then felt Elliot pull on her towel. She turned to face him, and he held up a pair of purple satin panties. He bent down and looked up, and Olivia knew he wanted her to step into them. She did, and he slid them up her body. He reached over onto the dresser for the matching bra, and handed it to her.

"I'm not gonna attempt to figure that thing out," he said. "I can get it off of you in three seconds flat, but you can put it on."

Olivia laughed, and put on her bra, as Elliot scooped up the replica of the dress she never got to wear outside of her kitchen. He draped it over her head, watching her arms slide through the straps, then he zipped it up.

"You look so gorgeous," he whispered to her. He kissed her gently, then stepped toward the kitchen nook, opened the mini fridge, and pulled out a plastic container.

Olivia noticed his tie matched her dress and his suit was a bit dressy for dinner. "El, baby, where exactly are you taking me? We're a bit overdressed for dinner on the beach."

"We're not having dinner on the beach, kitten," Elliot said. He opened the container and pulled out a wristlet, purple and blue exotic flowers, and slid it onto her hand. "I'm taking you to your prom."

The look on Olivia's face, the tears in her eyes and the smile creeping across her mouth, made Elliot realize he'd just done something very, very good.

**A/N: Next: How does Elliot pull that one off? Who questions Frank and what does he tell them? And while Olivia and Elliot in bed, they choose a name! **


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: How did Elliot plan a prom for Olivia? Frank's questioning. What do they name the girl?**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

Olivia gasped as Elliot led her into the ballroom. "El, baby, this is…"

"Your prom," Elliot finished. "Dinner, dancing, people in really expensive clothes doing really stupid things. It may not be the graduating class of…"

"Don't say it," Olivia warned playfully.

Elliot laughed. "But it's a night you never had. I am giving it to you. I had to pay through the nose, and flash the badge, since we weren't invited to this gala, but here we are."

"You are truly…something," Olivia said, nodding with a chuckle as they were led to a candlelit table. "What made you do this?"

Elliot shrugged. "You looked so gorgeous in that dress in your picture, and that story…I didn't really enjoy my prom too much, either. Made a big mistake that night. Not that I think Maury's a mistake, but…if I wasn't such a…"

"Teenaged male," Olivia interjected, earning a playful scowl from Elliot.

"Right," Elliot said, "I would have been free to be with you, from the moment we met. We have a lot of catching up to do, baby. I want to make up for it all."

Olivia gave him a soft expression. "You already have," she said. "Really, El, everything you've done, from the moment we reconnected, you've more than made up for it."

Elliot looked at her. "My ex-wife tried to kill you at our wedding, and only told me how to save you out of guilt when I thanked her for taking everything so well. I owe you for that one."

Olivia chuckled. "No, you don't. You got me to the hospital in time. The baby's fine, I'm fine, you don't owe me anything."

"I owe you my life, Liv," Elliot said, reaching across the table and grabbing her hand. "I promised you, you have my life."

Olivia gave his hand a gentle squeeze and smiled. "And you have mine," she said, watching Elliot get out of his seat.

Elliot tugged her up and took her into his arms. "Dance with me," he said. He led her to the dance floor and held her tight, guiding her around the room.

Suddenly, Olivia was grateful that her mother beat up her date and refused to let her go all those years ago, because this, this night, this dress, this man, this was how it should have been.

* * *

"Okay, so you used your connection to the pesticide company to get that chemical for Kathy, and you never asked why?" Cragen asked, folding his arms.

"I didn't think she was going to try to kill anyone!" Frank yelled. "She said it was for her kid's science project. She said it was one of the ways you can make a volcano erupt," he explained.

Cragen nodded. "And you bought that?"

"I don't have kids," Frank said. "I flunked grammar school science because I never made the damn volcano, how the hell was I supposed to know?"

Cragen sighed. "Okay, so you didn't do this on purpose."

"No!" Frank almost yelled, but he remembered the sleeping kids. "Why the hell would I want to hurt her?"

Cragen smirked and tossed a file down in front of Frank, saying, "Maybe it's not Olivia you were trying to hurt."

Frank picked up the file, opened it, and scoffed. "You really think I would help Kathy kill Olivia and that baby to get back at my brother? For this?"

Cragen nodded. "Yeah," he said. "I do."

* * *

Elliot poured Olivia another glass of sparking white grape juice, coming as close to champagne as he could for her, and he raised his own glass. "To that night, that one night, and everything it meant for us."

Olivia clinked his glass with hers, smiling. "You're just gonna treat me like a princess for the rest of my life aren't you?"

"Got a problem with that?" Elliot asked, smirking as he sipped.

"Not at all," Olivia said, sipping from her own glass.

Elliot laughed. "Are we supposed to be this happy."

"No," Olivia said, shaking her head, "So shut up about it before someone hears you and tries to kill one of us again."

Elliot laughed again, shaking his head at her and smiling. "Did you have a nice night?" he asked. "Was your prom everything you thought it would be?"

Olivia gave him a soft smile and said, "This was beyond what I imagined, El. This was such an amazing night. I can't believe you did this."

"Believe it," Elliot said, downing the rest of his juice. "You ready to go? I have another surprise for you."

Olivia's eyes widened. "There's more?" she asked, stunned.

Elliot's eyes darkened as he looked at her. He felt those familiar nerves building, as if it was the first time he was seeing her all over again. "Yeah, baby," he said with a single nod of his head, "There's more." He rose out of his seat and held out his hand.

Olivia slipped her hand into his and he pulled her up, instead of leading her to the dance floor, though, he led her to the door.

* * *

"That's an awful lot of money," Cragen said, nodding. "Elliot and your father didn't get along, we all know that. Why would he leave all of that to him, and not you?"

Frank grimaced. "Hold a séance and ask him yourself," he snapped.

"This doesn't bother you?" Cragen asked, skeptically.

"Look, my father beat the shit out of both of us," Frank said. "Elliot...he just stood up to the man. Told him off a few times. He tried to protect me and my mother." He sighed. "Maybe that's why. My father respected Elliot for not taking that shit, while I just let it happen."

Cragen tilted his head. "No, that would only make Joe hate him even more, Frank. You really aren't concerned that you got nothing, while he got everything? Now he has the girl, and the perfect family, too. You have to be a little bit jealous."

"Who isn't jealous of him?" Frank yelled. "Jesus! The man's a fucking lucky bastard! But that doesn't mean I would willingly, purposefully, try to hurt her or the baby!"

Cragen shook his head. "No," he said, "But this does." He tossed another document into Frank's lap and watched the younger Stabler's face fall. "You really don't think you can keep anything from the NYPD, do you? Especially when I'm the one doing the investigating. You fucked with the wrong people, Frank, and now you have to make it right. Just tell us the truth."

"I am!" Frank yelled. "I love my brother, I love Olivia, and I love that little girl! If I thought, even for a second, that Kathy would ever…God, I would have told someone! This…" he paused holding up his arrest record, "Doesn't mean shit, Don!"

"You don't hold a grudge against him for arresting you?" Cragen asked, putting his hands on his hips.

Frank shook his head. "I was young, I was drunk, I was about to do something stupid. He saved me that night. It could have been a lot worse."

Cragen narrowed his eyes. "You really didn't do this, did you?"

"No, Don," Frank said. "I didn't. And I'm sorry I had a hand in it. It was all Kathy, I swear."

* * *

"If I walk into one more wall because of you, I swear you're spending the rest of this week on the couch," Olivia said, her eyes squeezed shut as Elliot led her blindly to their destination.

Elliot laughed. "You can't spend five minutes away from me, let alone a whole five days and nights, who are you kidding?" he asked, nudging her forward. "Step," he said, guiding her.

Olivia stepped, then felt something cool and gritty squish beneath her feet. She smirked. "We're on the beach," she surmised.

"You should be a detective," Elliot said, holding the both of them steady.

"Hardy har, you should be a comedian," Olivia said back. "Now that I know where I am, can I open my…"

"Not yet," Elliot interrupted with a laugh. "Patience, my girl."

Olivia grunted, nearly tripping, but Elliot had a good hold on her. "This is why you made me take off my shoes," she said.

"Yeah, you walking on the beach in those heels would be asking for trouble," Elliot said, chuckling. "Okay, open 'em, baby."

Olivia opened her eyes and gasped. A beautiful blue and purple blanket had been set out, with a large sleeping bag on top of it. There was another bottle of sparkling juice in an ice bucket to the side, and several jarred candles securely ground into the sand around the blanket. "We're spending the night out here, aren't we?"

"What gave it away? The sleeping bag, the duffle bag, or the fact that you know me too well to think I wouldn't do something like this?" Elliot asked, tugging off his tie and taking off his jacket.

Olivia chuckled. "All of the above," she said, as Elliot pulled her toward the blanket.

Elliot looked into her eyes, running his hands over the straps of her dress, sliding them off of her shoulders. "A riddle. You can't drink it, but you're about to have it," he said cryptically, inching the zipper down. "A lot of it."

Olivia threw her head back as she laughed, her fingers undoing the buttons on his shirt. "Sex on the beach," she said with a smirk.

"Correct," Elliot said brightly, watching her step out of the dress, standing before him in the purple underwear he'd bought for her. "Damn, you are incredible. How'd I get so lucky?"

"Some young, impressionable college girl had a thing for men in uniform," Olivia said, smirking as she pushed Elliot's shirt completely off. "Blue-eyed men in uniform."

Elliot smirked. "Lucky I have blue-eyes then, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Olivia nodded, moving her hands to his waist. She popped open the button, pushed down the zipper, and was moved, by Elliot, to the blanket. She peeled off his pants, tossing them into the sand, and felt his hands moving up to her bra, unhooking it and tossing it over to his pants.

Elliot turned them over, sliding off the panties she was wearing and flicking them away. He gazed down at her naked body and bent over, kissing her and caressing her belly with his open palms. "Isabelle," he whispered to her.

"What?" Olivia asked.

"I wanna name her Isabelle. We could call her Belle, Bella, or Izzy," Elliot said, nuzzling Olivia's nose. "It's pretty. Isabelle Stabler."

Olivia looked at him warmly, blinking away the tears. "I love it," she said, running a hand down his back.

Elliot kissed her again, smiling. "I love you," he whispered into their kiss.

"I love you, too," Olivia returned. She turned Elliot on his side to slide his boxers down, and as she did so, they both looked up at the clear night sky. "Any wishes you wanna make tonight? You seem to have luck with wishing on stars."

Elliot shook his head and cupped Olivia's face. "I have everything I could possibly wish for, right here." He rolled back over, securing her beneath him. The cool shore breeze blew around them, the moon and stars shone down on them, and they got lost in each other's gaze. Elliot pressed his lips to hers as he pushed into her, and they both moaned, closing their eyes tightly and wrapping their arms around each other. Far gone, too far gone, neither one noticed the bright shooting stars sailing through the sky over their bodies, and neither one knew that the other was, in fact, making a new wish.

**A/N: Some more good honeymoon fluff. Next: Kathy's interrogation and trial, Elliot and Olivia have another unforgettable **_**noche**_** in Mexico, and someone new joins the squad, who's gonna rock their world. TMG212 on Twitter. **


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N: Some more good honeymoon fluff. The start of Kathy's trial, Elliot and Olivia have another unforgettable ****moment ****in Mexico, and someone new joins the squad, who's gonna rock their world.**

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

"Look, Captain Cragen," Frank said as Cragen was leaving, "Olivia...she doesn't know."

"About what?" Cragen asked, confused.

"The money," Frank said. "Elliot never told her, and..."

Cragen furrowed his brow. "Wait, his wife has no idea that they've got a few mil..."

"No," Frank said. "Elliot isn't proud of it. He calls it blood money. He's always said Dad only left it all to him to keep him quiet about what he did. Like some half assed apology or something. He never touched it. Not until he had the kids, and after that he started spending it on..."

"Olivia," Cragen said.

Frank nodded. "He isn't exactly thrilled, using money that came from his father like that, but it's for her and his kids, and he...he doesn't want her to know. Not yet."

Cragen sighed and nodded, then grabbed the files. He glanced up and said, "Take care of those kids."

"Take care of Kathy," Frank said, an evil look in his eyes.

The men nodded at each other and Cragen left, hoping someone at the courthouse could arraign Kathy and get her onto the calendar before Olivia and Elliot came home. He picked up his cell as he left dialing the number of the Two-Seven. "Yeah, Fredricks? Don Cragen at the One-Six. I need to borrow one of your detectives. Eckerson. He's a what? Well, can you find him? Yeah, get him over to my station pronto."

* * *

Olivia rolled over in the sleeping bag, in Elliot's arms, and sighed. The salty air filled her lungs as she inhaled, and she couldn't open her eyes, for fear of this all being a dream.

"I'm dreaming," Elliot's voice declared into the barely lit morning. He gave voice to her thoughts. He had a funny way of doing that. "I have to be dreaming. This is too fucking perfect." He rolled slightly onto his side and pulled her up a bit, kissing her gently.

"Good morning," Olivia whispered, her eyes finally opening.

"Right back atcha, Misses Stabler," Elliot said, giving her another kiss. He tasted the remains of sweet grape juice on her lips, mixed with the salty bitterness of whatever she had licked, sucked, and kissed off of his body as they made love, twice, during the night. It didn't matter to him because beneath it all he definitely tasted pure Olivia. He moaned, softly but she heard him.

"Elliot," Olivia whispered, putting up little resistance as he tugged her legs around his body, his tip playing excitedly at her entrance, ready to go.

"Olivia," Elliot whispered back, against her lips, running his hands down her body, their movements tossing the unzipped sleeping bag open. He rolled them over, his dominant side prevailing. The waves came in, crashing on the shore and rolling in over their toes, spraying their ankles and legs as they kissed and caressed. He skimmed his arms up her body, grabbing her arms and gently guiding them above her head. Linking their fingers, he held them there as he pressed into her and began moving, thrusting slowly.

Olivia murmured his name and squeezed his hands. She rolled her head and forced her eyes open, noticing his eyes had not left hers. He smiled down at her; she smiled back. "Oh, my God," she moaned.

"Hmmm," Elliot agreed, pulling out and pushing in, keeping their eyes and hands locked. "Liv," he whispered, followed by several short, grunting noises.

A wave came in further, this time cresting on the shore and rolling up to their knees, making them gasp, but not stopping them. Not at all. Elliot closed his eyes and dropped his head to hers, moving slower but deeper. Stronger. As if trying very hard to tell her something with each move. How much he loved her.

Olivia gave his hands another squeeze and tried to pull her own arms down. She managed to loop them around his neck, forcing his to fall. He tangled his hands in her hair as he nuzzled her nose and kissed her, whispering, "I love you."

"I love you," Olivia moaned back, tightening around him. Her muscles contracted and released, her body tensed, her eyes screwed shut.

"Look at me," Elliot demanded, pulling back slightly to peer down at her. He was always adamant that, at this moment, their eyes remain open and locked. "Look at me, baby. I gotta...shit, look at me," he panted, gasping and grunting.

Olivia rolled her eyes and bit her bottom lip, finally meeting his. She saw him smirk at her, she smiled back, he moved more deliberately, hitting spots he knew would drive her impossibly crazy. "God, El," she cried, her nails digging into his back as she clenched tight around him.

Elliot kissed her deeply and pulled back, thrusting hard and deep as he filled her, spilling into her, grunting her name as she screamed his and came around him.

The cold water, rushing over them, was a pleasant contradiction to the heat they had been emitting, and as they tried to calm down, they kissed, letting the wave splash around them.

"Yeah," Elliot said with a kiss and a chuckle. "Definitely a good morning."

* * *

"Am I reading this correctly?" Judge Donnelly asked, looking at the file in front of her. "This woman is being charged with attempted murder of an officer and her unborn child? How 'unborn' are we talking, Miss Cabot?"

"Detective Benson was approximately four months pregnant at the time of the attack, give or take a few weeks. We don't want to interrupt them. We know it's, legally, not a person, but, Your Honor, we know it's a girl, and once gender can be specified..."

"Benson?" Donnelly interrupted. "Olivia Benson?"

"Yes, Your Honor," Alex nodded. "Detective Olivia Benson. The defendant is her husband, Detective Stabler's ex-wife. That's why this needs to be..."

"Is she okay? Is the baby all right? Why didn't I know about this?" Donnelly asked, suddenly white with fear and panic.

Alex was confused. "They're both absolutely fine, Your Honor. Detective Benson is in Mexico, with Detective..."

"Can it, Cabot. Talk to me like a human being for five minutes!" Donnelly interrupted.

Alex sighed. "Olivia and Elliot are on their honeymoon, Liz. She and the baby are just fine. When Olivia collapsed at the reception..."

"This was why? Kathy Malone drugged her?" Donnelly asked, anger in her voice. "Alex, her arraignment is in an hour, tell her she'll need a damn good lawyer because as far as I'm concerned that is a very healthy baby girl. I'm entertaining the people's charge of dual counts of attempted murder, and let's tack on assaulting an officer, shall we? Trial's set for...does Friday work for you, Alex?"

Alex looked at the judge, slightly concerned, but she nodded. "Yes, Ma'am," she said. "I've got a list of witnesses and a ton of evidence that will..."

"I'm sure you do," Donnelly said. "One hour. Go." She watched Alex leave and sat behind her desk, half tempted to pick up the phone and call Olivia. She closed her eyes and took her hand off the receiver. Olivia's safety was important, but she couldn't be biased. She had to hear the case as she would any other. She took a deep breath and called the only other person who knew why this mattered so much. She waited for an answer and sighed. "Trevor, I need your help."

* * *

Elliot looked over at Olivia and smiled. She had just pulled on her dress and picked up her shoes, and he rolled up the blanket. "That was one hell of a night," he said with a chuckle. His suit pants rolled up, his feet getting sandy as he walked and squinted to keep the sun out of his eyes.

Olivia laughed. "It was one hell of a morning," she said. She wrapped her arms around him as her wet, salty, sandy hair blew in the ocean breeze.

"I know what you're thinking," Elliot told her, smirking, "And they will be awake in three hours, we'll call them in four."

Olivia smirked at him. "How did you know what I was..."

Elliot kissed her, shutting her up. "I was thinking the same thing," he said. "I'm having a fantastic time here with you, alone in paradise. But I do miss our kids." He kissed her again, then bent to grab the blanket.

"El," Olivia said, tilting her head and eyeing him suspiciously, "You didn't rent that suit did you?"

"No, it's mine, wha...no," he said, backing up. "Liv, baby, don't you dare."

Olivia got a mischievous look in her eye and bit her bottom lip, smirking evilly as she dropped their shoes and tugged the blanket and sleeping bag out of Elliot's hands. She gave him a playful shove, timed perfectly, and laughed as he fell backward into the ocean, a wave crashing right into him.

"Oh, brilliant," Elliot said, trying not to laugh. "I would find a way to get out of that dress. Now, Olivia," he warned, chasing after her.

Olivia squealed and ran, unzipping her dress and letting it fall into the sand. Elliot caught up to her and scooped her up, then ran with her in his arms back into the water. They laughed as the waves crashed over them, into them, and Elliot let Olivia go only long enough to throw his soaked suit back onto shore. He looked at her, pulled her back into his arms, and chuckled. "You're such a brat," he said.

Olivia raised an eyebrow, reaching her arms behind her. "Yeah," she said, taking off her bra. She saw Elliot's eyes darken as they followed the wet, purple blob back to the sand. "But I'm a brat who is now skinny dipping with her husband on a pretty secluded beach in Mexico."

Elliot's head snapped back toward her and his eyes widened. Dangling from her finger was the matching, purple pair of panties. He smirked and grabbed them, tossing them over his shoulder. He held on to her, kissing her, and hiked her up around his waist as they drifted out further to sea, letting the peace and serenity of the beach, their paradise, take them away, while life at home was anything but peaceful and serene.

**A/N: Andy Eckerson? The Marshall? What was Frankie arrested for that requires that kind of attention, or is it all for Kathy? And why does Judge Donnelly care so much? So far, she hasn't really interacted with anyone. Hmmm. More? Reviews will make it happen! Here or on Twitter. Follow TMG212. **


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N: Andy Eckerson? The Marshall? What was Frankie arrested for? And why does Judge Donnelly care so much? Sorry, again, for the long wait. This story has a tendency to cause me great writer's block. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and its characters. TStabler© owns the narrative, dialogue and plot of this story.**

Andy Eckerson walked into the squadroom at quarter to five, and Cragen was there waiting. "Thanks for coming," Cragen said.

"No problem. I came as soon as I got the call. But I'm a bit confused as to why you needed me," Andy said, folding his arms.

"You arrested Frank Stabler four years ago," Cragen said, tossing down the file. "I need to know why, and how Elliot kept his hands out of it."

Andy ran a hand down his face. "Elliot Stabler," he said chuckling. "Partners like him don't come around often, and when they do, you do anything for them."

"So arresting Frank was a favor for Elliot?" Cragen asked, intrigued.

Andy sat in Elliot's chair and spun around. "Frank was drunk, Don. He was two seconds away from raping a woman in the parking lot of a bar, and Elliot stopped him. Frankie turned and started whaling on Elliot, saying crazy things and throwing punches. When Elliot finally pushed him off, he was bleeding, with a broken arm. Elliot thought a night in the clink would be an eye-opener for Frank, so he called me. I read him his rights, but Elliot cuffed him. The arrest was mine, but the push was his."

Cragen nodded. "Thanks," he said.

"So, uh, Stabler got hitched, again?" Andy asked, looking around the room.

"Yeah," Cragen said. "To his, uh, partner."

Andy narrowed his eyes, realizing something. "What's her name?" he asked, spinning the chair back to face Cragen.

"Olivia Benson," Cragen said with a smile. "They're amazing together."

Andy's eyes flickered. "Yeah," he said. "I'll bet they are. Hey, Don, I've got some issues with the board, and thinking of taking a little time away from being a federal agent. You wouldn't, uh, need any help around here, would ya?"

Cragen thought for a moment, then he smiled. Then he nodded. "Yeah, Andy. Actually, we do."

* * *

"Look, your honor, I told you, Olivia and I don't even speak anymore," Trevor said. "How should I know when this all happened?"

Liz Donnelly looked at Trevor Langan and said, "I watched that girl grow up, living in hell, and promised when I became a judge that if I ever found her I'd..." she paused, thinking she'd gone too far. "Well, I just want her safe. Happy."

Trevor shrugged. "Kathy's in jail. She should be safer and happier." He furrowed his brow for a moment and said, "You really never forgot about her?"

"You don't forget cases like that, Trevor," Donnelly said. "You should know that. Social workers, child services, they didn't do anything for her! She just kept walking into the courtroom with complaint after complaint filed against her mother, from teachers, neighbors, even one of the cops who knew her. No one did anything."

"You did," Trevor said, "And you got her away from her mother, for a little while at least, when it mattered. And look what she's become? You did that Liz. I think you should tell her."

Liz shook her head. "She thinks it was a scholarship," she said. "I'm not gonna tell her I paid for boarding school and part of college so she didn't have to deal with her mother, Trevor. She didn't even really know me then as anything more than her lawyer."

"Well," Trevor said, "Maybe she should, now."

* * *

Elliot rolled over in the bed, wrapping his arm around the woman next to him. "Morning," he whispered.

"It's three in the afternoon," Olivia whispered back, snuggling closer to him.

"But we're just waking up, so, good morning," Elliot repeated with a smirk.

Olivia chuckled. "We wouldn't be just waking up if you hadn't kept me awake until four in the morning." She kissed him, letting him pull her on top of him.

"I could spend forever like this," Elliot said, looking up at her.

"So could I," Olivia said, kissing him. "It's probably a good thing that we get to do that then, huh?"

Elliot laughed and nodded. "We should get up, baby," he said. "I want to see as much of this place as we can before we leave, and I've got plans for us tonight."

Olivia kissed him again. "What kind of plans?" she asked.

"Just get up, get dressed, and you'll find out," Elliot told her.

Olivia kissed him one more time, then slid off of him. "You know I hate going into surprising situations unprepared."

"You'll be prepared," Elliot said with a chuckle, getting out of bed. He took her hand and pulled her into the bathroom, staring the shower.

They washed and teased each other, rinsed off, dried and dressed, then Elliot grabbed a small duffle bag, took Olivia's hand, and walked out with her. They walked down the paved walkway on the sied of their hotel, his arm around her shoulders, and they stopped at a waterfront cantina. Elliot held the door open for her, and she stepped in, unsure of what exactly was going on.

Elliot spoke to the man behind the counter, in broken Spanish, and from what Olivia understood, he had rented a boat from this man and was here to pick it up. "Come on," Elliot said, pulling Olivia through the back of the Mexican cafe. He led her out back to the small dock behind the place and asked, "You wore your bathing suit, right?"

"You told me to," Olivia said as she nodded.

"Well," Elliot said, tugging off his shirt, "This is Manuel, and he is taking us scuba diving." The man on the boat waved as Elliot helped Olivia get her outer layers of clothing off. They left their clothes, and the bag he'd brought, near the side of the door.

Olivia felt suddenly queasy. "Like, under the water, with the fish, and the...oh, boy."

"I know you've got a fear of drowning," Elliot said, "But I'm not gonna let anything happen to you. Besides, we're gonna be in shallow water. It's snorkeling, really."

Olivia took a deep breath and took Elliot's hand as he helped her climb into the boat. "I trust you," she said.

"You have to," Elliot said, pulling her close. "You married me."

Olivia chuckled and held him tight as the boat drifted away from the dock. "And It was the best decision of my life. Well, second best."

"Yeah?" Elliot asked with a furrowed brow. "What was the first?"

"Having a one night stand with a Marine back in college," Olivia laughed.

Elliot smirked. "Yeah, that was a good idea, I think," he said. He kissed her and nuzzled her nose, noticing the boat had picked up speed. "Oh, honey, uh, maybe we should sit down."

Olivia moved to the side and sat on the boat's seat, Elliot sat next to her, and they enjoyed the ride out to sea.

* * *

Frank stood in the living room, watching four blurs of color whoosh passed him, back and forth, until finally, he grabbed one. "Hold it," he yelled. All four blurs of motion stopped as he turned the boy around in his arms. "What is going on, young man?" he asked.

Dickie, still in his arms, said, "Maureen's mad at Katie."

Frank nodded. "Okay, so why are you..."

"And Katie's mad at Lizzie," Dickie continued.

Frank furrowed his brow. "All right, but then why are you..."

"Lizzie's mad at me," Dickie said, interrupting again.

"There we go," Frank said, raising an eyebrow. "What did you do?"

Dickie took a deep breath. "I accidentally spilled grape juice on Lizzie's teddy bear. Lizzie grabbed something to clean it up with..."

"My shirt," Kathleen said, pouting. "So I tried to get the shirt away from her, and it flew..."

"Into my head," Maureen said, "While I was holding my own juice." She tugged on her shirt, revealing a bright purple stain.

Frank rolled his eyes and sighed. "When are your parents coming home?" he asked, whining.

"Tomorrow," all four children answered together.

"Thank the Lord," Frank mumbled. He took all of the juice stained things, including Maureen, into the laundry room, praying he knew how to work the machine.

* * *

"Liv?" Elliot called, searching the waters around him. "Liv, baby?" he called again, beginning to worry. Suddenly, he was pulled under the water, yanked below the surface.

Olivia, popping up with a laugh, shook the water from her hair and watched Elliot resurface. "Hi," she said.

"Oh, you are in so much trouble," Elliot threatened, swimming toward her.

Olivia moved fast, saying, "You wouldn't hurt a pregnant woman."

Elliot caught up to her and held her in his arms. "I will never hurt you," he said, his voice low.

Olivia was surprised by the seriousness he had taken on. "I know, El, I was..."

"You need to know that," Elliot interrupted. "You also need to know," he said, pausing to lift her into his arms, "That I'm really a lot stronger than you." He tossed her gently into the water, laughing as she came back up, irritated.

"That was a romantic moment," Olivia said, "But you had to go and ruin...where's the boat?" she asked suddenly, looking around.

"What?" Elliot turned, looking around. "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"

**A/N: Did Manuel really leave them in the middle of the ocean? How will they get home? What does Andy want? Kathy's verdict and sentenceing, and will Donnelly tell Olivia everything? Wanna know? Tell me! Here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N: Did Manuel really leave them in the middle of the ocean? How will they get home? What does Andy want? Kathy's verdict and sentencing, and will Donnelly tell Olivia everything? Forgive the short chapter. I have a lot of work to do before Monday. (1st day of school)**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters still belong to Dick Wolf. If you'd like him to hand them over to me, then please, by all means, write to Wolf Films, but I won't hold my breath. The rest of this story, in its entirety, belongs to TStabler©**

"You look like a pair of the drowned rat," Manuel said with his thick accent, laughing.

Elliot glared at the man as he pulled himself onto the dock. "We had to swim God knows how far to get back here!" he yelled. "Why the hell did you leave us in the middle of the ocean like that?"

Manuel looked around, then knelt down and looked Elliot in the eyes. "I do not like police," he said. "You arrested my cousin," he said with a glare. "For nothing," he added. He got back up and said, "You got what you deserved, since I can not hurt you. At least I didn't take you out too far." He rose and walked away.

Elliot shook his head in disbelief, then turned to look at an out of breath Olivia. "We do kinda look like a couple of drowned rats," he said with a chuckle.

"How did he know we were cops?" Olivia asked, ignoring his comment. "And how did he know we arrested his cousin?" she questioned.

Elliot dried off, then pulled on his shirt. "I don't know," he said. "But I'm gonna find out."

* * *

"What exactly are you doing here?" Munch asked Andy, looking at him over his glasses. "You are aware that no one here likes you, right?" he asked.

Andy laughed. "I'm just here to help out. I heard Stabler's coming back. I'd like to see him. It's been a while."

"I'm sure he still hates you, too," Munch said. "It's been, what, five years since you took off? He's had a pretty bad series of partners since then."

"I heard," Andy said with a nod. "But, uh, this one. She seems to be sticking around."

"For good," Munch said. "He married her," he said with a laugh.

Andy stole a glance at the photo on Elliot's desk. "I see that," he said. "Do they know they have to be split up?" he asked.

"I think so," Much said. "But she's having a baby, so I don't think she'd be working for too much longer anyway."

"Wait, what?" Andy spat. "He knocked her up?" he asked, stunned.

Munch tilted his head. "Why does it matter so much to you? You don't even know her."

Andy sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Yeah," he whispered. "I do."

* * *

"I'm sorry, it was the best I could do," Trevor Langan said to his client. "You know it's hard defending an innocent person, but even harder defending someone as guilty as sin."

"You blew the case on purpose," Kathy shouted from behind the bars. "Fifteen years? For nothing! She's fine! She's fucking fine, Trevor!"

Trevor shook his head. "You don't grasp the severity of what you did, do you?" he asked. "You tried to kill a cop, and her unborn child, because you were jealous and angry. You are damn lucky the paramedics got there in..."

"Shut up," Kathy spat. "Just go away," she yelled. "I will find another lawyer, and I will file an appeal."

Trevor laughed. "No lawyer in this city is gonna take a chance like that. No judge will even entertain the notion of filing an appeal for you. You admitted it! You said you did it!"

"But fifteen years? Trevor, I will never see my kids grow up," Kathy said, her eyes starting to well up. "I will never...I will be close to fifty when I get out of here! Elliot won't want me then! You have to do something!"

"Kathy," Trevor said, shaking his head, "He doesn't want you now. Not accepting that is why you're here." He sighed again and said, "You're up for parole in seven years. Don't do anything stupid, and maybe they'll let you out for good behavior." He gave her a sad look, turned, and walked away.

Kathy watched him leave, knowing no one would come visit her after he was out the door. Now she was alone, and she knew it was her own fault.

* * *

"What did he say to you?" Olivia asked, trying to keep up with a pissed off and huffing Elliot as they walked back toward their hotel. "El, talk to me!" she yelled.

"If I talk, I'm gonna yell, and I don't wanna yell at you," Elliot said, gritting his teeth and walking fast.

"I don't care if you yell," Olivia called to him, walking in time with him now. "Tell me what he said to you!" she demanded.

Elliot turned and said, "Alvarez! His cousin is Armando Alvarez! We arrested him for trying to sell little girls. That prick in there just told me that he wasn't selling them, he was buying them, to save them. If I get back to that station tonight, and find any evidence that tells me we arrested and convicted a fucking hero..."

"Okay, baby, calm down," Olivia said, stopping him and resting her hands on his shoulders. "We don't know what Alvarez told Manuel. He could have been lying to him. We had DNA evidence, El. DNA doesn't lie. Hair and fluids, on several of those girls, how was that saving them?" she asked, reminding him of the case.

Elliot squeezed his eyes shut. "I just...if anyone had Lizzie and someone was trying to buy their freedom..."

"That's not what was happening here and you know it," Olivia interrupted. "Breathe, El. Breathe. Let's go back, finish packing, and go home."

"Home," Elliot whispered. "Yeah, Liv." He looked up at her, brushed her hair back, and kissed her. "As much as I have loved this trip, I can't wait to go home." He took her hand and walked with her into the hotel, tugging lightly on her arm as they climbed the stairs. "We, uh, we aren't in any kind of rush. I want to take a shower, take a nap, and take our time," he told her as they stepped into their room. He kissed her, slowly, making his intention of taking his time very clear.

* * *

It was close to two in the morning when they finally arrived home. They crept in slowly, seeing Frank passed out on the couch. They laughed quietly, then made their way up the stairs to check on the children they hadn't seen in a week. They both gently kissed each child, then walked back downstairs.

"Frank," Elliot said, shaking his brother. "Frank, man, get the hell out of my house," he said, shoving him.

Frank groaned. "You are very welcome, Elliot. Oh, wait, that's right. You didn't thank me for staying here and watching the kids, yet," he mumbled. He yawned and sat up. "How was Mexico?" he asked.

"Beautiful," Olivia said with a smile.

"You have fun?" Frank asked, wagging his eyebrows.

Elliot chuckled. "Yeah, we had a lot of fun. How were the kids?" he asked, sifting through the mail.

"Little monsters," Frank spat. "But angelic, little monsters," he said, smiling.

"That's an oxymoron," Olivia laughed, wrapping her arms around Elliot.

Elliot laughed and kissed her forehead. "It's true, though," he said with a chuckle.

Frank stopped laughing, sighed and said, "Kathy's sentencing was today."

"Yeah," Elliot said. "I know. What happened with that?" he asked.

Frank ran a hand down his face. "Well, uh, Donnelly gave her the max," he said. "Fifteen to twenty, and she lost her nursing license. I don't think her lawyer was really trying, though. I think he felt more shame then pride in defending her."

"Well," Elliot said with a small shrug, "Trevor's kind of a friend. He probably felt guilty."

"Oh," Frank said, yawning as he grabbed his keys, "Donnelly called for you Olivia. She said to call her back when you got home. It didn't matter what time. And Cragen wants you to call him, let him know you're here and what time you'll be in tomorrow. He's pissed you didn't make it back there tonight," he said.

Elliot smirked. "We, uh, we were having too much fun," he said, narrowing his eyes. "We had to take a later flight."

Frank shuddered. "You know, I don't need to hear about your sexual escapades," he said.

"I wasn't gonna give you details," Elliot laughed.

"Thank God for small favors. I am getting out of here, and back inot my own bed. Good night, guys," Frank said, laughing. "See you soon," he said, walking out the door.

Elliot turned and kissed Olivia. "We're home, baby," he whispered.

"Yeah," Olivia sighed. "We are," she said with a small, relieved smile. "I missed our babies, El."

"Me, too, kitten," Elliot said to her. He kissed her again and said, "We can unpack tomorrow. I'm exhausted. I'm gonna call Cragen and go to bed."

Olivia nodded and yawned. "I'm right behind you," she said. "I'll call Donnelly, though I don't know what she could possibly want." She watched Elliot climb the stairs as he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. She did the same, looking through the contact list for Judge Donnelly's cell phone number. She hit the 'send' button and was stunned when the judge picked up on the second ring. "Hello, Your Honor," Olivia said. "It's Detective Benson. I'm sorry it's so late, we just got in from...yes, it was lovely, thank you. Oh, uh, I feel great. Everything is perfect. The little girl is happy and healthy in there," she said, laughing, as she ran a hand over her belly. "Am I sitting down? Uh, why, do I need to be sitting down?" she asked, slowly dropping to the couch. "I'm listening," she said. "Okay. Yeah, they said it was...oh...oh, my God." She felt the tears forming, but she refused to cry. "No, I just, uh, I don't know what to do with this. Your Hon...okay, Liz...you saved my life. I don't know how to thank you for that, and...yeah, sure. Okay. Tomorrow morning, then. Bye," she said.

She hung up the phone, shocked at what she had just been told. She shook her head quickly, then got off the couch. She finally knew who the anonymous benefactor was that had paid for more than half of her education. She'd always known that her scholarships were never enough, and though she wanted to, she never believed her mother paid for anything. She'd thought about it for years, but it never occurred to her that it would be Judge Donnelly. She smiled as she walked into the bedroom and started to change for bed. As she crawled into the bed next to an already peacefully sleeping Elliot, she sighed. Her life was what it was because of this amazing woman, and the amazing man next to her, and she was so thankful for both of them. She, too, drifted off to sleep, unaware that someone was waiting to change her life, and not for the better.

**A/N: Is it Andy? And what happens when they get a phone call from someone from their past? Find out, next! If you want it! **


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N: SO sorry for the long wait on this story, yet again. It tends to get blocked, and it's an issue. Forgive me? **

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and characters still belong to Dick Wolf. If you'd like him to hand them over to me, then please, by all means, write to Wolf Films, but I won't hold my breath. The rest of this story, in its entirety, belongs to TStabler©**

"Mom," Lizzie said, jumping up onto Olivia and Elliot's bed. "Momma! Mom! Momma!"

"What, baby?" Olivia moaned, her eyes still closed.

Lizzie leaned over and whispered, "We made breakfast."

Olivia's eyes shot open. "Oh, no," she mumbled, throwing the sheets off of her. She picked Lizzie up, then slapped Elliot in the arm. "El, get up. The kids…made breakfast."

Elliot's answer was a low, long groan. He kept his eyes shut as he tossed off the covers and got out of the bed. He was prepared for a mess, a ton of destruction, and inedible food.

"Oh, my God," Olivia cried, putting Lizzie down as she walked into the kitchen. "Guys, um, wow," she said, looking at Elliot.

Elliot looked at her and grinned, then looked back at the four angelic faces staring at him from the counter. "You did all of this?" he asked, waving a finger around the bowls of poured cereal and whole fruit, with two unlit candles in the middle.

"We missed you," Kathleen said, rubbing her nose.

Maureen sniffled and coughed, then said, "Welcome home."

Elliot nudged Olivia toward the table, and he pulled out her chair. "This is really nice. I just wish you all could have waited a few more hours," he laughed as he sat down.

Olivia looked up at the clock, saw the blinking numbers telling her it was only four in the morning, and she groaned.

Elliot laughed, biting into his apple, and said, "At least now we have time to shower before work."

Olivia chuckled, kissed him, and scooped up some cereal. "Back to work," she sighed.

"Just because the honeymoon's over," Elliot said, leaning into her, "Doesn't mean it's really over. You know, we can still…"

"The kids are right there," Olivia said, stopping him.

Elliot laughed, kissed her, and enjoyed the child-like breakfast with his family.

* * *

"There they are!" Munch yelled, seeing Olivia and Elliot walk into the bullpen.

"How ya doin,' John?" Elliot asked, shaking the man's hand.

Munch shrugged. "Not as good as you are," he laughed. "Cragen wants to see you, and he's…"

"Benson! Stabler!" Cragen's voice yelled. "My office! Now!"

Olivia furrowed her brow. "All this because we didn't get back here last night?" she mumbled, walking toward the office.

Elliot opened the door, letting Olivia in, then he moved toward a chair and let the door close. "What's the problem, Cap?" he asked, folding his arms.

"Olivia, you're on a desk, starting now," Cragen said, pointing. "Elliot, this is Andy Eckerson. He'll be working with you until Olivia can go back to full-duty, after she has the baby," he informed them.

Olivia's eyes widened. She turned a not-so-pleasant shade of white. "Andy," she whispered, taking a step back.

Elliot noticed this and narrowed his eyes. "Liv?" he called to her.

"Hello, Olivia," Andy said, a grin on his face that was wide and smug. "It's been a long time," he said, his eyes flashing something odd.

Olivia just nodded, then walked out of the room. "What the hell…" Elliot began, getting out of his seat. "Excuse me," he said, leaving, following her. He caught up to her at the door and grabbed her arm. "What was that?" he asked softly.

"It was just a shock…seeing him…" she said, shaking her head. "I'll be okay, I promise," she told him, trying to smile.

"No, Liv, you just got scared," he said. "What's going on?" he asked, his eyes pleading with her to tell him the truth.

Olivia closed her eyes. "Remember when we first starting seeing each other…again," she began. "We had that talk about relationships, and I told you about the guy I was gonna marry, just to get away from my mother? The one who…"

"Hit you," Elliot finished for her. "That was…him?" he said, almost yelling.

Olivia tried to calm him down. "El, it was a long time ago. I was sixteen, and I couldn't defend myself then, okay? It's…over. I just…seeing him…"

He pulled her into his arms and whispered a promise to her. "He won't touch you," he said. "If he even tries I will rip his hands off," he said, kissing her forehead.

She nodded and gave him a small smile. "Oh," she said, turning toward her desk. "I asked Munch to pull the Alvarez file. El, the man was guilty. He failed every polygraph and…"

He silenced her with a kiss. "Thank you," he whispered to her. "I needed to hear that," he said, kissing her again.

"Hey," Munch called. "If you two don't mind, some of us single guys don't want to see that."

"Some of us do," Andy said, coming out of Cragen's office with a smirk. "Stabler, we got a case. You ready?"

Elliot glared at him, he cracked his knuckles, and he said, "Don't have a choice." He kissed Olivia and left, following Andy out of the room.

Olivia sat in her chair, picked up a file, and sighed. Fate had given her Elliot, taken him away, given him back. She found out Judge Donnelly was essentially behind her rescue from her mother, and now Andy was thrown back into her life. She didn't know why, but every good thing in her life came with something bad. She looked down, ran a hand over her belly, and wondered what awful thing was coming along with her little miracle .

* * *

It had been five hours. Olivia was almost done with her paperwork when Elliot and Andy came barreling into the squad room. She looked up to see them yelling at each other, and she couldn't understand what they were saying. "Hey!" she yelled.

"You couldn't leave well enough alone, could you?" Elliot shouted.

"You weren't getting anywhere with her!" Eckerson yelled back.

Elliot fumed as he ran a hand down his face. "You didn't have to accuse him of raping his own daughter, you moron!" he spat at Andy.

Olivia walked over, coming between them, and pulled Elliot aside. "Hold on!" she yelled. "I don't want this costing you your badge! What the hell happened?"

Elliot took a breath and shook his head. "He threatened the vic's father! Practically forced him to confess, even though he had a rock-solid alibi, and now the man is suicidal!"

Olivia turned on Andy. "Do you have any idea what you're doing?" she asked, her voice sharp.

Andy gave her the vicious glare he used to give her before he went after her and he chuckled evilly. "More of one than you do," he said. "You're still a weak, little girl, Olivia. Why do you think you're on a desk, and I'm on the job with your partner?"

"I'm pregnant, you dick," she snapped back, taking a step.

"Yeah," Andy laughed. "Always knew you'd get yourself knocked up and get stuck with a loser for a…"

Before he could finish speaking, her fist collided with his jaw. He was on the floor in seconds. She shook out her hand and said, "That felt really good."

"What the hell is going on out here?" Cragen yelled, coming out of his office. "What…."

"He called her weak," Munch said with a shrug.

Cragen looked from Andy to Olivia, then back to Andy. "She proved you wrong, apparently," he said, helping Andy up. "Benson, I'm gonna blame hormones for this, but…"

"Don't," Olivia said. "He deserved it, Cap. He was…"

"He insulted her, then he insulted me, he jeopardized our case, and did you know that he hit Olivia?" Elliot said, trying to get the truth out before he couldn't.

Cragen looked at Andy, appalled. "You hit a pregnant woman?" he asked, stunned.

"No," Olivia said, interrupting. "It was a long time ago. It's…it's not important. Just…tell him to stay away from me." She took a deep breath and felt herself lighten. She looked at Elliot and smiled, and said, "Why don't you and Munch go back and apologize to the family. Maybe they'll…"

"I'm not leaving you alone with him," Elliot said, his voice low and his eyes narrow.

Cragen sighed. "Go," he said. "Benson, Stabler, you two go. Fix this before we lose the whole case." He watched as Olivia and Elliot walked out of the bullpen, then he looked at Andy. "You," he said, "Have a lot of explaining to do." He shoved Andy toward his office, and he was prepared to divulge a secret he'd been keeping for a very long time.

**A/N: What secret? What happens when they have to deal with Trevor and Donnelly, not that the truth is out? And they get a night of romance, thanks to the kids. Review here or on Twitter: TMG212**


	40. Chapter 40

**A/N: What secret? What happens when they have to deal with Trevor and Donnelly, not that the truth is out? And they get a night of romance, thanks to the kids.**

**DISCLAIMER: SVU and related characters/ideas belong to Dick Wolf. Original plot and dialogue belong to TStabler©**

"How many times did he apologize?" Elliot asked, unlocking their front door.

"Thirteen," Olivia sighed, following him into the living room. "Do you…do you smell that?"

Elliot sniffed. "Cinnamon," he said, his brow furrowing. "Why the hell does it smell like…" he stopped talking when he saw the kids, in their pajamas, lined up in front of the couch in height order. "What are the four of you doing?" he asked, a knowing tone in his voice.

Lizzie handed Olivia a book. "We thought…storytime could be together," she said with a little shrug.

"You can read to all of us at once," Maureen said, smiling.

Kathleen giggled. "Then there's a surprise for you in the kitchen," she said.

Dickie nodded. "Then we go to bed," he told them. "Since it's a school night."

"Oh, honey," Elliot said, turning to look at Olivia. "School starts tomorrow!" he said.

Olivia laughed. "Why do you think we've been buying notebooks and backpacks and new clothes?" she asked.

Elliot laughed. "Time is just…flying," he said, shaking his head. He hung up his jacket, then stepped over to his son, lifting him into his arms. He sat on the couch, waiting for Olivia to sit next to him, and the kids found spots on each lap to make themselves comfortable.

Lizzie tapped the book in Olivia's hand, saying, "Read now."

Olivia laughed and looked at Elliot. Then she turned, nodding once at Frank who slipped out of the front door with a small wave. He had been watching the kids while they were at work, and was now on his way to his own job. "Okay, munchkin," she said, shifting in her seat. "Let's see…" she opened the book, and she began to read, grabbing the attention of the children with her enthusiasm and voices.

Elliot held the twins on his lap, watching her read, and he could not believe that she was in his life, his wife, mothering his children. He couldn't believe that one night changed everything, setting events into motion that would let him be happy, truly happy, the way he was now, with such an amazing woman. He heard his children laugh, and it was a sound that warmed his heart. He knew that he wouldn't trade these moments for anything, and he had her to thank for it all.

* * *

With the last child tucked in bed, kissed, and closed in their room, Elliot and Olivia made their way to the kitchen, from which the smell of cinnamon was emanating. "Oh, honey, look," Olivia said sweetly, looking at the counter.

"Frank must have helped," he told her, turning the plate of fresh cinnamon buns around. "This is adorable," he said with a laugh, picking up a handmade card.

She peeked over his shoulder at it, reading it. "Aw, they even drew a picture of us," she said, her voice lilting. "What is that?" she asked, pointing.

"A dog," Elliot laughed. "They're suggesting something," he chuckled. He picked up a sweet roll, broke a piece off and held it out to her. "You're incredible," he whispered, watching her bite it.

She raised an eyebrow as she chewed.

He chuckled and said, "In general, not because you're eating."

"Well, I try to be incredible at least once every day," she joked. "What was it today?" she asked, turning the doughy treat around to face him.

He bit, chewed, and said, "Everything. The way you handled that girl, the way you calmed down the father, the way you completely gave Andy the cold shoulder when we got back." He fed her a bit more, and then said, "Tonight, with the kids…baby, everything…" he put the cinnamon bun down and shook his head, not finding the right words.

"What?" she asked, concerned.

He sighed and said, "The way you are with the kids, the way you are with me, I have never heard them laugh the way they laugh with you. I've never been this happy in my entire life, it's…" he paused. He turned to her and smiled. "It's incredible," he said with a shrug. He kissed her, licking the remaining icing off of her lips, and he knew where the night was heading. "I love you," he said, kissing her again.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, falling into his kiss the way she always did. "I love you," she mumbled against his lips. She felt his arms loop around her body and she felt her feet lift off of the ground. She was still kissing him, caught up in the emotion of the moment, and wasn't aware they were moving.

He managed to carry her up the stairs, to their room, blindly walking and finding his way from memory. He placed her in the middle of the bed, his lips never breaking away from hers.

She heard him moan lightly, felt his hands trail down her hips and up her legs, taunting her. She arched her back slightly when he ran over a sensitive spot and she felt the vibration of his chuckle against her moving tongue.

"Still ticklish," he whispered, pulling back from her for a moment, sliding off the clothes that kept them apart.

"Mmmm hmmm," she hummed as she nodded, bucking her hips to help him remove her pants, and she waited with great anticipation and baited breath for him to cover her body with his, loving how the feelings never changed, that it always felt like their first night together, the night that changed everything.

Careful of her growing belly, he dropped gently over her, kissing her neck, caressing her skin with the tips of his fingers, loving the way she chuckled and moaned at the same time. He waited for her eyes to open, waited for her to look at him.

She turned her head and opened her eyes, meeting his darkened ones, and she gasped, holding back a loud noise as he pushed into her, the eye contact almost as intense as the pressure building in her body.

He let out a soft grunt as he pushed harder, inching deeper inside of her, needed to feel as much of her around as much of him as possible. Their flesh met with a gentle tap, and he closed the gap between their mouths, kissing her slowly, deeply. She still tasted like cinnamon, but beneath it, he could have sworn he tasted peppermint and with every deep breath he took he got a whiff of lavender.

She moaned with every thrust, soft and low, and she heard min return her sensual noises with groans of his own. She ripped her lips away from his, crying a deep, "Oh, God, El," and squeezing her eyes shut.

"Ah, fuck, baby," he seethed. "God, Liv," he muttered. And on it went with him, pulling out and pushing in, over and over again, his head falling back, then dropping forward, pressing against hers. He kissed her again, sliding his hand up and down the side of her body. He rested his hand on her bump just as she tightened around him, and he grunted her name, his own release taking over as he let go.

She arched her back, gripped his shoulders, dropped her head back and cried his name softly, feeling heat and tension roll off of her and several emotions rush through her body. This was what making love to him was like, since their first night, and it was only getting more intense.

He kissed her, several small pecks, as he rolled them over and slid her to the side. He held her close as they caught their breath. He whispered, "I love you," and he heard her whisper it back. Before he realized it, he was asleep.

* * *

The ringing phone woke them up, and Elliot knew it was way too soon. "Fucking hell," he grumbled, shooting an arm out to the end table. He picked up his phone, flipped it open, and spat, "Stabler. Yes, I was. Yes, you did, Fin. What do you want?"

Olivia rolled over, blinked her eyes open, and frowned at him.

"Yeah," he sighed. "We'll be right there, man." He snapped his phone shut, then looked at Olivia. "I thought this was over," he mumbled, moving his other arm out from underneath her.

She narrowed her eyes. "What?" she asked, sitting up.

"We have to go down to the station," he said with an attitude. "We have to talk to Donnelly and Trevor. Something wasn't filed on the prosecution's end with Kathy's case, she could be getting out on a technicality, they need us to go…"

"Now?" she interrupted, looking at the clock. "It's five in the morning! What are we supposed to do with the kids?"

"The only thing we can do," he said, pulling up his jeans. "Bring them with us."

She raised an eyebrow. "All right," she said, getting out of the bed. She dressed, then woke up each child, knowing they'd be grumpy.

Lizzie and Dickie fell back to sleep on the car ride over to the station, forcing Elliot to carry them into the building. Olivia held Maureen and Kathleen's hands as they wobbly walked up the stairs and through the doors, and they took a long ride up to their floor in the elevator. They cuddled, a family hug, on the way up, knowing it was safe. They weren't here on business.

"Elliot," Trevor said, meeting him in the hallway. "Look, I didn't know this was…" he stopped, looking at Olivia, then at the kids. "You brought the whole brood, huh?" he said with a chuckle.

Elliot nodded. "Had to, man," he said.

"Well, anyway, the prosecuting attorney didn't sign any of the reports, and Olivia's statement isn't…"

"What statement?" she asked, interrupting.

Trevor looked at her. "Your statement," he said. "The one you gave before you left for…"

"I didn't give a statement," she said, shaking her head. "The only statements I gave to anyone were to Munch and Fin at the hospital. I signed them. I know I signed them."

"I watched her sign them," Elliot said, nodding.

Liz Donnelly, behind Trevor, cleared her throat. "Well, it seems this just went from a technicality to a mistrial. Get yourselves a new lawyer." She looked at Olivia and smiled. "How are you, otherwise?" she asked.

"Fine," she said, following the blonde into the squad room.

"You know," Donnelly said, turning to her, "I can't believe Don never told you about me." She blinked, shook her head, and said, "He always said he would make sure he…"

"Excuse me?" Olivia cut in, looking at Donnelly as her hands still clutched those of her little girls.

Donnelly looked at her again. "He knew," she said. "He didn't tell you he knew that…" she paused, looked toward Cragen's door, then back at Olivia. "Olivia, I paid for your education, but he paid all of your medical bills." She folded her arms and said, "Don Cragen was dating your case worker for years, that's how I found out that you needed help to stay in school. Every time you wound up in the E. R, he handled those expenses."

"Oh, my God," Olivia gasped, remembering what had happened before she and Elliot had left. Remembering Elliot had told Cragen that Andy used to hit her. "Every time?" she asked.

Liz nodded. "Until he and Sarah broke up, that is." She saw the question on Olivia's face and she rolled her eyes, knowing she was about to let another secret out. "He hoped she would let her into your sealed files, but she wouldn't. He got into them anyway; she found out, she flipped."

Olivia bit her bottom lip. She looked down at Maureen and Kathleen and said, "Go by Daddy for a minute, guys."

The girls wearily walked toward their father as Olivia strode over to the office door. She knocked. She took a breath. And when Cragen answered, she asked the only question she could think of that made sense to her. "You know. I'm not...I'm not, am I?"

**A/N: Hold on, what? Cragen knows what? Review here, or on Twitter: TMG212**


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: At long last, a final night. **

**DISCLAIMER: Dick Wolf owns SVU and the characters; TStabler© owns the story you're about to read.**

Olivia waited, holding her breath, as she watched Cragen think about the question she had just asked. Or, tried to ask. "Well?" she prodded.

"No," Cragen sighed. "But not a day goes by that I don't wish you were." He ran a hand down his face. "I tried like hell to keep my relationship with Sarah from getting in the way of her work, and mine, but…you…" He gestured to her and pressed his lips together. "You were special."

"Why?" she interrupted. "I mean, if I'm not...why would you do that for some stranger's kid?" She looked back at Donnelly. "Why would either of you?"

Donnelly looked around, then ushered Olivia into Cragen's office. "Back then," she began, closing the door behind her, "Things were different. CPS wouldn't take you away from her because she had a stable job and was in a program." She looked at Cragen. "Don and I...we tried like hell, but no judge would listen. We knew that if it were left to chance, she'd kill you, or if she found out your insurance wasn't covering every trip to..."

"It wasn't!" Olivia yelled. "You were!"

"True," Donnelly said, continuing. "But she thought it was. If she knew it wasn't the insurance, she would have stopped taking you, and any injury left untreated could have...well, that was a chance we weren't going to take."

Cragen cleared his throat. "Olivia, look," he said. "It's in the past, and we didn't think you'd ever find out. Hell, I never even thought you'd still be living in New York when you graduated college. I thought you'd get as far away from her as possible."

Olivia smiled. "So did I," she said. "But, uh, there was this guy...at school. He...he changed everything, and then he left. I couldn't leave the city. Not until...not until I found him."

Cragen tilted his head. "You stayed for some guy?" He couldn't smile. He wanted to, but he couldn't.

"I stayed for my husband, Cap," she replied, one hand running over her belly. "He's not just some guy. He...he never was."

"I knew you were going to say that," he said, rolling his eyes. "If there's nothing else...I'm not sorry, and I never will be. You were a special little girl, and you grew up to be a special woman. I just...I made sure you would get to grow up. That's all."

Olivia gave him a softer smile, and she blinked once, then tilted her head. She squinted a bit. "Where's Andy?"

Cragen chuckled and shook his head. "Repaying an old debt," he said. "Go," he told her. "Elliot's probably ripping his hair out wondering what's going on in here."

She got out of her seat and nodded at both Cragen and Donnelly, then left the office. She was relieved, and also slightly upset, that Cragen wasn't her father. It meant her life wasn't a lie, but it also meant she was still missing half of her story, half of what she was giving to her child.

Elliot sighed, seeing her walk toward him. "What was that all about?"

"Nothing, really," she said, shaking her head. "Just a few questions I finally have answers to," she explained. She saw the look on his face. "Not that one."

He chuckled and kissed her gently. "I talked to Trevor," he said, biting his lip. "Liv, I don't think…" he paused and took both of her hands in his. "Do you really wanna go through all of that again?"

She took a deep breath. "If it keeps her away from us, away from our kids, then yes." She turned to Trevor. "What do we have to do?"

"Well, like I told Elliot," Trevor began, "You'll have to get a new lawyer, give new statements, you'll need to recount everything unless she..."

"If Kathy makes a full confession," Elliot interrupted, "Then they can give her a deal. With what she did, and what she tried to do, she'll still be in prison until we're grandparents. This doesn't have to go to trial."

"You don't wanna go through it all again, do you?" she asked, nudging his nose with hers.

He pressed his forehead against hers and said, "There are a thousand and one nights, one in particular, that I would relive with you in a heartbeat. The night you almost died is not one of them."

She took a shaky breath, she nodded, and she kissed him. "All right," she whispered. "But what if she doesn't…"

"Detective Eckerson," Trevor butted in. "He and Fin went to talk to her. They'll get a full, written confession out of her."

Olivia smiled, knowing Andy was only doing what Cragen had asked. "I'll see you later, Trevor. Thanks."

Elliot hesitantly shook Trevor's hand, then nodded at Cragen as he waved to them from his office doorway. He wrapped an arm around Olivia and led her down the hallway, toward the elevator. He pushed the button, then looked at her for a long moment before saying, "It wasn't even cold."

She narrowed her eyes. "What wasn't?" she asked him as they stepped into the lift together.

"That night," he whispered. "When we went for that walk around the campus. It wasn't that cold, but we were both shivering, and when we got back inside…it was hot as hell in that lobby, and I didn't wanna let you go."

The doors in front of her slid shut, and she turned to face him. "What even made you think of…"

"Just now, back there," he cut in. "I started shaking. Just thinking about Kathy, and what she tried to do to you…I started shaking, and I knew it was for the same reason I shook back then. I was...we were scared, Liv."

Her brow furrowed. "Scared?"

He smiled at her and nodded. "You were terrified of your feelings, you know you were. You didn't know what love like that was like, and feeling so strongly so fast..."

"Scared me out of my mind," she finished. "Yeah."

He nodded with a hum. "And being with you scared the shit out of me because you were everything that I wanted, and couldn't have. Well, wasn't supposed to have." He shook his head and laughed, remembering. "I was married, with a kid on the way, and I was on my way to a Marine base. I didn't know if I was gonna live or die, if I'd ever meet my child. None of that scared me the way you did. You wanna know why?"

She bit her lip. "You're gonna tell me, even if I say no, right?"

He grinned as the elevator doors opened and he pulled her out of the box by the hand. "You scared me, because you made me feel things I never felt before. With you in my arms the way you were, I was terrified that once I left you, I would never feel like that again. The thought of losing you petrified me then, and it does now."

She yelped when he pulled her closer and their noses touched. "You're not gonna lose me," she whispered. "Ever."

He kissed her once and guided her out of the building, and he walked with her to their car. "On my honor," he said, "I will defend and protect…you. Our kids. Our family." He spun her around and pulled her close, leaning up against the trunk of his car. "Until the end of time."

She laughed and kissed the end of his nose. "That was a clever spin on the Marine pledge, huh?"

"It's a vow, Liv," he whispered. "Like the one I made you our first night together, in your bed, when I gave you my cross. Like the ones I made to you on our wedding day. There's not a single thing I wouldn't do for you, for our kids, to keep you safe and happy."

She narrowed her eyes. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he mumbled, his eyes searching hers for a sign she believed him. When none was found, he closed his eyes. "Nothing yet, I mean."

"What are you planning on doing?" she asked, her hands skimming down his chest.

He took a breath. "We have four kids, with another one on the way," he told her. "Five kids, in this city, on the shit salary we both pull in? Liv, that's…insane. We'd never have the kind of life we deserve."

"What are you saying?" she asked, blinking.

"Let's go back," he pleaded, his eyes wide and his smile warm. "I already looked at a few places online, these big, beautiful, affordable houses. And it's really not that long of a commute, we would just have to have set hours, no more pulling the graveyard shift or taking calls in the middle of the night."

"Slow down, Tonto!" she chuckled. "You're so excited about this, but I don't know what you're…"

"Loudonville," he said, a twinkle in his eyes.

She almost choked. "You want to move upstate?" she questioned. "That's almost a three hour…"

"One and a half, if we take the bullet train," he told her firmly. "I put a lot of thought into this, baby. I researched schools, and the kids would be able to run around in a real yard! Ya know, we could get that dog they want so badly. Baby, we can raise our kids in a real house with a white picket fence and go to sleep to the sound of crickets instead of sirens."

She pressed a finger over his mouth to shut him up, and she shivered against him when he kissed the pad of her slim digit. "El," she whispered, her eyes closing. Her head dropped to his. "How long have you wanted to do this?"

He sighed. "A long time, baby," he told her. "Why do you think I keep bringing you back there? That place…it gave me you. It gave me my whole life in one night, and what kind of man would I be if I didn't want to spend the rest of my life in the only place my wife and I were ever perfectly happy?"

Her head tilted as she smiled. "One night," she whispered. "Una noche, El. That's all it took to make me yours. In that one night, I promised that I would follow you to the ends of the earth if I ever had to, I'd go anywhere, do anything to be with you. To stay with you." She kissed him and said, "When do we leave?"

His smile grew, his eyes popped open, and he laughed heartily as he kissed her and spun her around again. He pressed her into the car, kissing her deeply, and moaned just a bit. He pulled away from her, and his eyes traveled down her reddened lips, her long neck, and landed on the gold chain. He slipped a finger beneath it and trailed its length, and though it had been replaced a few times, the cross remained at the heart of it, dangling against her perfect chest.

"It's amazing," she whispered to him, feeling his left hand course over her body and land on her bump. She linked her fingers with his there. "Isn't it?"

"What?" he asked, pulling her against him tightly.

She kissed him softly, then looked deeply into the eyes she fell in love with, what seemed like a lifetime ago. She smiled at him and whispered, "One night can last forever."

**A/N: A sweet end, to a story that went too long forgotten. Thank you all for not giving up on it. For not giving up on me. Much love.**


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